FAA Expert to Teach N.J. College Drone Class

FAA Expert to Teach N.J. College Drone Class JANUARY 3, 2017 A public university in New Jersey is taking flight, joining a growing fleet of colleges to offer drone training programs. Stockton University in Galloway recently announced the launch of a 13-week, continuing-education course, titled Introduction of Unmanned Aviation Systems. Taught by Adam Greco, an FAA air-traffic account manager, the course will cover drone use, regulations, legislation, safety and drone history as well as future trends, sensors and payloads. In addition, participants will discuss privacy and Fourth Amendment case law relating to search, seizure and warrant requirements. “When I teach a lecture — and I do that at least twice a month — I call my class ‘Keeping up with the Droneses,'” Greco said in a recent interview, adding that drone development “has turned things upside down.” The course will dig down into the technical aspects of drone life including power capability, autonomous flight, satellite uplinks and direct line-of-sight flight. Upon completing the course, students will be prepared to apply for an FAA Certificate of Operations and, upon successful completion of a safety course, be approved for drone flight. Stockton students will be in very capable hands under Greco’s tutelage – he also serves as the lead instructor for a course titled: “Introduction to the National Airspace System” for new hires, employees and contractors at the FAA Tech Center. Greco is also a non-resident instructor at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and has worked with NASA. Greco will teach a similar class at nearby Atlantic Cape Community College. Stockton University joins the ballooning ranks of universities and community colleges across the world introducing drone courses — in some cases, full degrees programs. In Virginia, Germanna Community College has created a partnership with Cedar Mountain Stone to train students to work with commercial drones. North Carolina colleges Edgecombe Community College and Lenoir Community College both unveiled drone programs in June. LCC’s program will grant students an associate’s degree in drone piloting – the first ever in the state. In April, Piedmont Virginia Community College received FAA approval to conduct drone research and development for use by public-safety agencies. The school kicked off a new curriculum program in May that will include UAV pilot training, as well as technical training with a focus on drone deployment within police, fire and first-responder agencies. In December, Green River College in Auburn, Wash. announced the launch of a drone associates degree program.

PVCC extending City Center lease with anonymous gift BY DEREK QUIZON Jan 4, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College is extending its lease in the Jefferson School City Center with help from an anonymous donor. The donor has agreed to pay the college’s annual $100,000 rent bill for three of the next five years. The college will be searching for a way to pay the remaining two years, said PVCC President Frank Friedman, but this donation has given officials enough confidence to renew the current contract, which is set to expire this year. “It’s a very valuable property,” Friedman told members of the college’s board at a meeting on Wednesday. “We need the space. I don’t know what we’d do without it.” PVCC leases 6,000 square feet at the center for its culinary arts program and Charlottesville Works Initiative, a job training program for low-income community members. The college is entering the final year of a five-year lease with the center, located in downtown Charlottesville. Up to this point, the lease has been covered by a grant from the Blue Moon Fund. With the deadline approaching, another donor stepped up to cover the cost for the next three years. Stephen Davis, a member of the board, asked if revenue from PVCC’s programs at the center could eventually become self-supporting. “Are we always going to need a donor?” Davis asked. Self-sufficiency is unlikely, Friedman said, because the culinary and the job training programs are unlikely to generate the kind of revenue needed to pay the rent at the center. “That’s what we’re using it for — it’s the home of short-term training and community self-sufficiency programs,” he said. PVCC 'prepared' for cuts Following a revised budget proposal from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, PVCC — and all other colleges around the commonwealth — are facing a 5 percent state funding cut next year. That’s better than the 7 percent initially proposed by McAuliffe, but the reduced cut would still cost PVCC about $500,000. Friedman said it’s not enough of a reduction to cause a crisis, but he’s still concerned about the way it may affect hiring and retention. PVCC faculty members have gone seven years without a raise, he said, and the 3 percent raise that was planned by the state has been replaced by a stopgap measure — 1.5 percent bonuses for employees this year and next year. College officials will make the case for a smaller reduction in state funding this year, and they have gathered data on declining state funding to make their case. According to PVCC, state funding on a per-student basis has declined about $500, or 15 percent, in the past 10 years. Taking into account inflation, Friedman said, this has reduced PVCC’s spending power about $1,000 per student. Tuition per student has risen more than 100 percent in that period of time. But PVCC hasn’t suffered as much as other community colleges, which are seeing about 4 percent enrollment decline since last year. PVCC’s enrollment has been mostly stable, declining only 0.6 percent this academic year. Friedman assured board members that budget cuts would not substantially interfere with any of its academic programs. “We’re well prepared for it,” he said.

05 JANUARY 2017 SENATE CANDIDATES EXPLAIN THEIR VIEWS The special election set for Jan. 10 could determine the balance of power in the Virginia Senate. Competing for the 22nd District seat are Democrat Ryant Washington, Independent Joe Hines and Republican Mark Peake. If Washington wins, the Senate will be evenly divided among Democrats and Republicans. The tiebreaking vote falls to the lieutenant governor, an office currently held by Democrat Ralph Northam. A vacancy in the state Senate was created when former Senator Tom Garrett (R-Buckingham) won the race for the 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 8. Garrett was elected to the seat in 2012, continuing a long list of Republicans who have held the seat since 1992. The last Democrat to hold the seat was Dudley J. “Buzz” Emick from 1976 to 1992. The district covers a wide swath of Central Virginia, including Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland and Prince Edward Counties, parts of Louisa County, and the City of Lynchburg. The Fluvanna Review sent questions to all three candidates. Their responses have been lightly edited for spelling and newspaper style, such as capitalization, but otherwise left alone. Tell us about yourselves. Washington: I am 48 years old. I am the Democratic nominee in the special election for Virginia’s 22nd senatorial district. I currently serve as the special policy adviser on law enforcement to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). My wife, Camilla, and I are the proud parents of recent Fluvanna County High School graduates Chris and Nick. I live in Palmyra currently but was born and raised in Buckingham. I have spent my entire career in law enforcement, as a deputy sheriff and later state trooper. I was elected sheriff of Fluvanna County in 1999 and I proudly served my community in that capacity for over 14 years before joining the ABC. I studied criminal justice at Piedmont Virginia Community College and I have a diploma in Business Administration from the National Business College in Charlottesville.

PVCC to hold national drone summit for law enforcement and public safety professionals in February Submitted Press Release | Piedmont Virginia Community College | Thursday, January 05, 2017 at 1:54 p.m. (Charlottesville, Va.) – Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are partnering to hold a national unmanned aerial systems (UAS) drone conference and summit in February. The 2017 National UAS Drone Summit will be held at Roseland Farms in Crozet from Monday, Feb. 27, through Wednesday, March 1, 2017, and is intended for professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief who are using or want to use drones as part of their operation. “The summit will draw professionals from across the U.S. and Canada to discuss best practices and the new technologies available to them,” said Darren Goodbar, PVCC UAS instructor and director of aerial services at Draper Aden Associates. “This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for practitioners in public agencies to network and share ideas and insights on integration and deployment of UAS technology during an emergency or incident response.” The three-day summit will include a series of workshops, breakout sessions, networking events, and a full day dedicated to scenario demonstrations and trainings. Presenters will include representatives from the National Association for Search and Rescue, the Center for Robotic-Assisted Search and Rescue, the National Weather Service, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Florida State University’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program and others, along with several UAS technology companies. There is no fee to attend the summit. Attendance is limited to 150 participants with preference given to public safety, fire, rescue, law enforcement and other emergency/disaster response members or affiliated organizations. Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations and travel arrangements. To register or learn more, visit www.pvcc.edu/uassummit, or call 434.961.5354.

Higher-ed institutions eyeing General Assembly action on funding, speech By Derek Quizon Jan. 7, 2017

State funding for higher education, freedom of speech on campus and tweaks to public records law are on the agenda at the upcoming General Assembly session in Richmond.

The University of Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community College are each facing a 5 percent budget cut under a proposal by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Because of a $654 million budget shortfall, the state has already had to cancel planned salary increases for Virginia employees.

Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, heads the education committee in the state House of Representatives. Landes said legislators are restricted, in some ways, because they have obligations to K-12 education and health care that are mandated by law.

On the other hand, there is some flexibility with higher education.

“I do believe that, then, higher education is a priority of the General Assembly,” Landes said. “Having said that, many legislators do not believe that higher education has done all it can to reduce administrative costs and find savings before looking at increasing tuition”

Colleges and universities should maintain staffing levels, Landes said, and look for other ways to keep administrative costs down.

Presidents of each institution say the cuts shouldn’t interfere with current programs, but both seem concerned about their abilities to hire and retain faculty.

PVCC President Frank Friedman said he is planning to ask the state to extend a planned 1.5 percent bonus scheduled at the end of this year into permanent salary increases. Legislators seem open to the idea, Friedman told the PVCC board this week.

“I think the General Assembly is realizing this is really making recruiting and hiring difficult,” he said.

In October, a panel in the state House of Representatives recommended salary increases of 3 percent for state employees. This gave UVa President Teresa A. Sullivan some hope for increased faculty pay, which she addressed at a legislative forum at the university last month.

Still, Sullivan stressed the need to show discipline in the face of budgetary uncertainty.

“We need to take a realistic view of, and plan for, the financial realities we will face over the next several years,” she said.

UVa’s Board of Visitors votes on tuition proposals at its annual spring semester meeting, scheduled for March 2 and 3.

Officials from UVa and PVCC likely will be monitoring other pieces of legislation that could affect them directly.

Legislators will consider a bill that would narrow exemptions to public records law in a variety of ways.

HB 1539 would eliminate the protection of public officials’ correspondence, which is currently shielded from records requests by the “working papers” exemption.

The exemption may have kept legislators from seeing some of Sullivan’s correspondence records last summer, when the General Assembly was investigating UVa’s Strategic Investment Fund for allegations of financial mismanagement (which investigators found no basis for).

In August, legislators claimed many of Sullivan’s responses appeared to have been omitted from the responses to their requests. The university responded only by saying it was reviewing the lawmakers’ request again.

The dispute died quietly later that month after state auditors cleared UVa of wrongdoing.

Open-government advocates welcome the proposed changes but are skeptical that they’ll have much real-world impact.

Megan K. Rhyne, of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said the exemptions are meant to allow executives in government to hold off on making decisions until they have gathered as much information as they need.

But allowing officials’ correspondence to stay out of the realm of public records indefinitely makes it very difficult to hold them accountable, Rhyne said.

“Part of the reach of this is we don’t have any way to know who is influencing, who’s talking and what they’re doing,” she said. “It’s a very far-reaching exemption right now.”

Two bills seek to protect speech rights on campus. HB 1401 would prohibit state public colleges and universities from “abridging the freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty or other employees and invited guests to speak on campus.”

Another would tie funding under a state financial aid program to free speech rights for students. Under HB 1434, colleges would only qualify for money from the Tuition Assistance Grant program if they offer a guarantee of free speech and expression in writing.

Other universities, including the University of Chicago, have adopted such policies of their own accord, but it has never been mandated.

Joshua Wheeler, an attorney who heads the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, said he’s not sure the bills would achieve their stated goal.

The First Amendment should already cover these rights, Wheeler said, and legal challenges are the main tool for protecting free speech on campus.

But a bill that ties funding to speech policies, for example, could be vulnerable to abuse.

“I get nervous any time the government hinges eligibility on a governmental benefit based on the speech of a private individual or organization,” Wheeler said. “You can imagine lots of other contexts where this might be troubling.”

Wheeler said recent court rulings show how this could unfold. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Texas had the right to reject a proposal for specialty license plates featuring the Confederate battle flag that would be sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The judges made the ruling on the basis that state license plates constitute “government speech.” This could set a bad precedent for other state institutions, Wheeler said.

“To allow the government to engage in that kind of viewpoint discrimination is very troubling because it allows the government to condition benefits on people expressing the views the government agrees with.”

Derek Quizon is a reporter for The Daily Progress. Contact him at (434) 978-7265, [email protected] or @DPHigherEd on Twitter.

Charlottesville and Albemarle Policymakers Discuss Middle Tier Jobs Posted: Jan 10, 2017 4:38 PM EST Updated: Jan 10, 2017 7:39 PM EST

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Policymakers in central Virginia are noting a lack of what are called "middle tier" jobs, and are trying to figure out what do to about it. Now policymakers and educators in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area are joining forces to deal with both sides of the problem. Policymakers say there are plenty of high-skilled and low-skilled jobs in the city, but there aren't a lot in the middle. Middle tier jobs are generally for someone who does not have a college degree, but does have plenty of practical job training. Charlottesville is expanding its Growing Opportunities job training program for bus drivers, utility workers and people in hospitality. Meanwhile, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is looking for ways to fill the middle tier job gap by increasing training. “What we find is our businesses have a need for employees, but we don't necessarily have employees with the right training. So connecting PVCC with job skills training is all part of economic development,” said supervisor Diantha McKeel. Administrators at Piedmont Virginia Community College say they are encouraged by the city and county's interest in tying job training to community employment. The community college is starting a number of new training programs to help their students get jobs after graduation. The Charlottesville City Council is also looking for ways to help area students get paid internships and job experience on some of the development projects this year, like rebuilding the Belmont Bridge.

Art events (01.12.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Jan. 11, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College: Annual Faculty Art Exhibition in the North Gallery and works by adjunct assistant professor of art Lou Haney on display in the South Gallery on display through Jan. 25. (434) 961-5376.

Posted Jan. 11, 2017 Learning from Our Past 2012 5 years ago Piedmont Virginia Community College officials announced last week that its fall 2011 enrollment was the highest of any fall enrollment in the school’s history. Officials said that 5,684 students had enrolled in credit classes, breaking the previous record. The fall 2011 figure included 447 students from Greene County who were enrolled in classes at its Charlottesville campus. By this fall, however, some of those PVCC students won’t have to make the commute to Charlottesville, as the Stanardsville satellite campus above the Greene County Library should be up and running by then. Work on the site is expected to begin next month.

Jan. 11, 2017 PVCC to host Nat'l conference for first responders on use of drones BY DEREK QUIZON The Daily Progress Central Virginia will play host to one of the first national conferences on the use of drones for public safety, as first responders from around the country converge in late February on Piedmont Virginia Community College in Albemarle County. PVCC—which offers the state’s only workforce certificate in drone operation—will host its first National Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit from Feb. 27 to March 1. According to organizers, the list of planned attendees includes officials from Georgia, Texas, Utah, Florida and Ontario, Canada. Over the course of three days at Roseland Farms in Crozet, they’ll share ideas and best practices on the use of drones for public safety purposes—mostly search and rescue, but also weather imaging, damage assessment and disaster response, said Darren Goodbar, a drone instructor at PVCC. The list of topics does not include surveillance, Goodbar said. Drones are becoming an increasingly important tool in public response to disasters. The Albemarle County Fire Rescue Division is one of many public agencies incorporating drones into their operations—most notably in the 2014 search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, who was later found murdered. Elsewhere, rescue workers have used drones to gather crucial data and map out a disaster area so relief workers could focus their efforts where they’re needed most. In Southern California, fire departments use them to monitor the speed and movement of wildfires. They were used to find victims trapped in the rubble following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal in 2015. Public agencies everywhere are incorporating drones into their arsenal, Goodbar said, but there’s little sharing of information across jurisdictions. Because of their small size and because they’re unmanned, drones can get closer to a dangerous situation than a manned aircraft. Fire and rescue departments might use them to identify victims in a fire or a flood, or to get closer to a hazardous materials spill. But there still are risks associated with flying up close to a dangerous scene, and poor piloting could make a bad situation even worse, Goodbar said. Carelessly flying an electrical vehicle with a battery could add fuel to the fire— literally. During the conference, officials will share their experiences in panel discussions and before putting some of their new knowledge to the test in a series of field exercises at Roseland. “The people coming to this will get realistic training,” Goodbar said. “Not only will they get to see how the technology is used, but how it plugs into a real-world scenario.” Virginia is trying to position itself as a national leader in this area, and PVCC is right at the center of it, said Valerie Palamountain, director of workforce services at the college. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management, which a co-organizer of the conference, is trying to help responders from across the commonwealth to coordinate with one another by adopting uniform standards and protocols. “It’s about making sure multiple agencies and jurisdictions are on the same page,” Palamountain said. Part of that push is getting the public to understand the value of drones, which most people associate with spying and extrajudicial killings. Palamountain said people are beginning to see that drones are not necessarily a surveillance tool— they can be used to minimize casualties in an emergency.

Jan. 12, 2017

New program guides homeless in starting their own businesses

Becky Blanton became invisible 10 years ago. She shared her story—how she went from working as a newspaper editor to living out of her van and eventually identifying as homeless—with her fellow entrepreneurs in a Community Investment Collaborative program in the fall of 2015. CIC runs a 16-week program for local entrepreneurs in Charlottesville, as well as Fluvanna and Louisa counties. It caters to small businesses, determining whether each idea is viable and then educating participants on the ins and outs of running a business. Toward the end of the class, Blanton was asked to talk about what motivated her to join. She said she had previously experienced homelessness, living in her 1975 Chevrolet van for a year and a half while in Colorado. Afterward, four people approached her and confided that they, too, had been homeless—and a few still were. “I was surprised,” Blanton says. “It can happen to anyone. Sometimes it’s just for a week, sometimes it’s a couple of months until you find an apartment. You couch surf or you sleep in your car, or a hotel room if you can afford it. “After people came up to me and told me they were homeless, that’s when I came up with the idea to write [The Homeless Entrepreneur],” Blanton says. “I thought, ‘If I could put what I just told the class into book form, maybe I could touch other people, too.’” It took her just a few weeks to put the story together. She then reached out to her CIC instructor, David Durovy, to get his opinion. “Becky sent me the PDF she had just written on the book and had asked me to go through it, make some comments and suggestions,” Durovy says. “I was very impressed with it. Not only was it good for people who are down and out and need help, or are broke or homeless, but I thought it had a lot of great wisdom in there for anybody. I said she should do a class for the homeless.” The book followed Blanton’s experiences in Colorado more than a decade ago, in 2006. She was working seven days a week, 12 hours a day as an editor for a small newspaper in Craig, a town of about 9,500 people, less than an hour from the Wyoming border. Her father died of a brain tumor a month prior to her start at the paper. Blanton says her dad’s biggest regret was that he worked all the time. So she quit her job, bought a van and became a freelance photographer. “When that job ended, I tried to find another one and I couldn’t,” Blanton says. During this time, she packed up and moved to Denver. She landed a job at Camping World, making $11 an hour, but it wasn’t enough to afford an apartment. “It’s like trying to find an apartment in Charlottesville on $9 an hour,” she says. “So I said, ‘Well, I’ll just live in the van until I find something.’ For me, it was like camping. I’d been an RV-er and camper most of my life. Living in a van was no big deal, but when you’re 50 years old and you’re female, people see that as ‘you’re homeless, poor you.’” She wasn’t able to find an affordable place for another 18 months, despite having jobs. Showering and parking were difficult, but she became creative. While working at a temp agency, she got off on the wrong floor and discovered the office building had showers in the bathrooms. So, she started using those. She also washed up in truck stop bathrooms, and took advantage of a local YMCA. “When I got the Camping World job, they had a gym and a shower for their employees so I could go in the morning and before I left work at night,” she says. “If it was really hot, I could take a shower to cool off before I got in the van.” Then, the challenge became where to park. “You have to change where you park every night,” Blanton says, listing the various places she would hide the car. Parking lots, parking garages, Walmarts, rest areas, truck stops, even hospital parking lots housed her van. “Police officers get used to seeing a car in a certain place, so you have to change (it) up.” Blanton says she was working in one of the richest suburbs of Denver—Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus dealerships were just down the street from the Highland Ranch Walmart where she parked her van. She said although those months were challenging, things were okay until her coworkers at Camping World found out about her situation. “[They] were calling me ‘that homeless woman,’” Blanton says. “I started to believe it. I mean, everything I know about psychology and social experiments—I shouldn’t have believed. …I should have just kept thinking ‘I’m an RV-er,’ but I started to believe it.” The bullying from her coworkers, the names and the looks they would give her, began to take its toll. “When you start to believe other people’s perceptions about who you are and what you are, you change,” Blanton says. “You become that. I started seeing myself as a homeless woman. I started avoiding people’s eyes.” Blanton admits she was suicidal. But one day a friend called her while she was sitting in the back of her van. The friend said the late Tim Russert, the longest-serving moderator on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” was talking about her on television. Before she was a newspaper editor she had written a story competing to be in his latest book. Out of 60,000 submissions, hers was chosen. When the book, Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons, was published, Blanton picked up a copy and read it. When she saw her name, it clicked—she was not a homeless woman, she was a writer. “Then, I changed my own mindset,” Blanton says. “It was instantaneous.” She vowed that whenever she made it out of the rut, she would help people just like her. Blanton and Durovy were planning to teach an entrepreneurship class after the CIC program, but it didn’t have enough students. So the pair decided to use Blanton’s book as a basis for the Suitcase to Briefcase program for homeless entrepreneurs in Charlottesville. The pilot project came together quickly, in a couple of weeks. “You can literally change your mindset and change who you are, what you want and how you feel about yourself in an instant with the right input, and that’s what’s important to me,” she says. “It’s not that I’m going to teach people how to start a business. It’s that I’m touching them on a deeper level and I believe in them. People don’t believe in homeless people. They think they’re lazy and they’re crackheads. I want to be, to them, what that book was to me.” Durovy says they had two major goals: Change the way homeless people see themselves and change the community’s perception of homeless people. The pair partnered with The Haven, a local homeless shelter, to bring their program to life. The Suitcase to Briefcase pilot program, led by Becky Blanton, was held at The Haven, a local homeless shelter. Samantha Wood is a housing stabilization case manager for The Haven. She worked closely with Suitcase to Briefcase, and helped recruit participants. “Their model and mission fit with our model and mission,” Wood says. “We put the word out. I reached out to some of my clients, other staff reached out to people they know.” While the program ran independently, Wood says The Haven supported it through each step. It provided a home for participants to meet in, as well as let them use resources like computers at the shelter. The program’s orientation was held in the sanctuary room, and open to anyone who was interested. The rest of the classes were held in the lunchroom. Durovy says the first session was the most nerve-racking. “I was hoping at least one person would come, and we had about 10 people show up. Of that group, all but three joined the class, and right off the bat my expectations were exceeded.” The outline of the class was simple, Durovy says. It was loosely based on Blanton’s book, but they followed some of the ideas that CIC uses. They planned field trips and had local community members come in and speak. “Mostly, we were trying to create a foundation so we could get some of the basic mindset in place, and an understanding of what they are getting into,” Durovy says. “[Focusing on] more of the soft skills, which are working on business ideas, learning their pitch.” During the course of the eight weeks, Suitcase to Briefcase connected with various organizations and businesses in the community. Nursing students from the University of Virginia came every week to take basic health stats. And during field trips the group visited a local glassmaker, as well as the i.Lab incubator at UVA’s Darden School of Business, among other places. “We went to the i.Lab coffee espresso event one morning, which is filled with professors and entrepreneurs and students,” Durovy says. “To have us walk in there was just a treat. Being able to take these folks places that normally they would be shunned, but all of a sudden they were starting to appear places and be recognized and addressed by people with a whole different level of respect.” Originally they wanted the class to be three hours long, but there were some concerns about keeping people’s attention for that long. But they quickly discovered two hours wasn’t enough. Once the conversations got going, participants would hang around afterward talking. “At first, folks were just getting used to the class, their classmates, Becky and David,” Wood says. She sat in on about half of the courses during the eight-week program. “Sometimes with our folks, they’ve been burnt so many times, it may take them a little bit to gain trust. They can be a little skeptical. It took time to warm up, then it started to feel like a cohesive group, very supportive of each other.” All of the topics covered were focused around the basics of business. A couple classes dealt with money and finance. Some of the participants’ ideas included an online gaming website, a T-shirt business and an urban fashion line. “We emphasize that they are responsible for themselves,” Blanton says. “They can make poor choices or wise choices. We’re there, not to rescue them, but for advice. We’re mentors, not social workers.” Durovy says the passion and commitment of the entrepreneurs inspired him. “Right up to graduation and continuing on—the desire to do something with their lives was evident, obvious and they were motivated.”

Success story The first time Robin Houser was homeless was as a 29-year-old college student in Alabama in 1986. After getting her GED, she headed south from her parents’ home in Stafford County, and enrolled at Calhoun Community College with funds she received from the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. She worked on the weekends as a certified nursing assistant for hospice patients, but found that the money she made was not enough to pay for housing, so she slept in her car. Eventually, she also began taking classes at Athens State University and qualified to live in a dorm room, but her college experience wasn’t all positive. She discovered that she had severe learning disabilities—which had gone previously undetected in high school—and after five quarters she had a C+ average. After needing to go back to work full-time, she quit taking classes and moved north, back to her parents’ home, and worked as a home health nurse. Fast forward a couple decades, and Houser again found herself living in her car—this time a van, from which she had removed the seats to allow herself more room. She had been living in Section 8 housing in Charlottesville, and had applied for a housing transfer to Waynesboro. She thought the process would take 30 days or less, but found herself without a home and nowhere to go. She would park her van at various places: a campsite in Waynesboro, Walmart parking lots in Charlottesville, Ruckersville and Waynesboro. She moved around because she didn’t feel safe staying in one place. It was wintertime, and she kept warm by covering herself with several blankets. Soup kitchens became a source for food. Last November, two years after her five-month homeless stint, she was back at the First Baptist Church which runs a soup kitchen, not out of necessity but out of fellowship. She had loved listening to the sermons and music and talking with other people. It was during this visit that a church staffer told her about the Suitcase to Briefcase program, and that she thought Houser would be a great candidate for it. Although the class had been in session for a couple of weeks, and although she lived in Waynesboro at the time, Houser decided to join. The best part of the program, she said, was the guest speakers. She especially remembers Paul Yates, Gordonsville branch manager of Woodforest National Bank (which also has branch locations in area Walmarts), who opened a checking and savings account for every program participant—the checking accounts each had $9.50, and the savings accounts had $10. Beyond the money, Houser appreciated Yates’ tips on how to manage money, and even how to use the accounts. Walmart also gave each attendee a gift card with $10. Houser used hers to put gas in her car so she could keep attending the sessions. Houser plans to open her own lawn care business. But first she needs seed money for items such as a hitch for her car, a trailer to house her equipment and tools like a lawn mower. To get the money, she wants to make and sell wooden boxes for kindling. She’s bought the boards and nails, but is now looking at ways to trade items or work for tools—such as an electric saw—to make the boxes. Houser looks at her time being homeless not as something to pity her for, but something that has made her stronger. She uses the analogy of weathering a storm, and how you can be changed by the experience for having endured it. She says she has met homeless people throughout her life who see themselves as victims, and it’s those people who are difficult to help, because they are not actively doing anything to get out of their situation. She says action is paramount—which is why she is confident she’ll have her lawn care business operational by the spring. She works every day at getting what she needs to move forward, she says. “It will happen,” she says. “There is no shame in being homeless; the shame is staying there.” Continuing education Blanton says the graduation ceremony in December was bittersweet. The participants were proud of themselves but were sad to see the course come to an end. But she says she and Durovy are committed to the group for the next year. Everyone is still active in developing his or her business—Blanton says she receives calls, texts or e-mails almost every day. They let her know how they are doing, or how the business is going—just recently someone reached out with questions about a potential logo. Each received a special gift when the class ended. “They don’t have anywhere to hang a certificate, so we created these 3-by-4-inch certificates with inspirational sayings on the back and a certificate of completion on the front,” Blanton says. “We laminated them and three-hole punched them so they could hang them from their backpacks.” Blanton and Durovy have also learned a lot, and plan to make the course a little different the next time around. “We’re trying to get a spot on the Downtown Mall,” Blanton says, “where our entrepreneurs can sell their wares. Instead of all these homeless people sitting around with cardboard, you can go to a stand and say, ‘Tell me your story,’ and you can buy their products.” This experience has also taught the pair that the program needs to be longer. The idea is to extend it to an eight-week boot camp, followed by a six- to 12-month follow-up program. Blanton says approximately 30 people have said they are interested in a future program, and Wood says she has been approached by almost a dozen people at The Haven for more information. Blanton says there’s no concrete start date for the next program. She and Durovy are still waiting on funding, and they both have full-time jobs. Blanton is a ghostwriter and Durovy is president and partner of the Post Institute. Right now, Suitcase to Briefcase has a number of sponsors, such as Best Western Hotels and Dollar Shave Club, Blanton says. They’ve been in talks with Piedmont Virginia Community College about scholarships and free classes for course participants. And there is talk of expanding the program to different cities. “Being homeless is not who you are, it’s where you are,” Blanton says. “You are who you think you are, and you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Horace Scruggs' 'Love, Peace and ‘Souldiers’ ' dives into music of a movement The Daily Progress staff reports Jan 17, 2017 Horace Scruggs and his band will present “Love, Peace and ‘Souldiers’: The Musical Defiance of the Civil Rights Movement” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Main Stage Theatre in the V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Scruggs’ “learning and listening” concert will focus on the jazz, folk, gospel and rhythm and blues music from the Civil Rights movement era and follow it back to its roots in plantation, minstrelsy and entertainment music. The show’s first part will pair Scruggs’ commentary with images and original songs from the era. The second set will feature Scruggs and his band performing Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” The O’Jays’ “Love Train,” Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and other songs. Tickets are $12; seniors and students pay $10. For tickets and details, go online to pvcc.edu/performingarts or call the box office at (434) 961-5376.

Orange County forming club lacrosse team BY RON COUNTS Jan 18, 2017 ORANGE — When he was 8 years old, Rich Harrington and his younger brother, Erik, unearthed a curious relic while rummaging around the attic of their Albemarle County home. In a box tucked away in a corner was an antique wooden lacrosse stick, complete with half leather and half webbed pocket — similar to those Native Americans used when the game was in its infancy in the Eastern Woodlands of the United States. The stick belonged to Harrington’s father, Dick, who played at Duke in the 60s and went on to chair the English Department at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Rich Harrington — a 1985 Albemarle graduate — and Erik (1988) both played lacrosse during their days at AHS and went on to play in college. Rich captained the team his senior year at Randolph-Macon, and Erik played at Lynchburg. In the 80s, Albemarle, Charlottesville and Western Albemarle were the only public schools to field lacrosse teams in Central Virginia. There’s still no lacrosse at Orange County High School, but Rich Harrington and Sully Carter are working to change that. In November, the duo got approval from the Orange County School Board to create an OCHS lacrosse club, which will include boys and girls teams that plan to compete on the junior varsity level in the Jefferson District, beginning this spring. “Even though there has been a lot of growth as of late, lacrosse is still a small community,” Harrington said, “but it’s full of dedicated people who want to make this program succeed. We’re going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.” Carter, a middle school history teacher in Orange County, has a family connection to the sport. His mother’s family is from Baltimore. Two of his great uncles were all-state high school players and one went on to play at Towson. His son, Tilghman, and Harrington’s son, Drew, are freshmen at Orange County and both have played lacrosse for years. Tilghman played at Grimes Memorial School in Orange and both took part in Charlottesville’s Seminole League and the Culpeper Lacrosse Association. “We want include everybody, from kids who have never picked up a stick to experienced players,” Carter said. “We are very determined to get this off the ground.” The inclusion of lacrosse at Orange County will leave Louisa County as the only Jefferson District school without the sport. Orange isn’t the only area school to add lacrosse to its list of spring sports in recent years. Courtland High School in Fredericksburg is in its fifth season as an independent, while James Monore’s boys are entering their third season and its girls, their second. With a collection of at least 10 experienced players, Harrington and Carter feel like they have a leg up on other programs that are beginning from scratch. “We are building this from the ground up, but we’re not going to have a group completely new to the game,” said Harrington, who spent time coaching youth CLA teams in Culpeper. “We will have the basics and fundamentals and will be competitive.” The club team is open to players in grades 8-11, and Harrington and Carter are planning to hold an informational meeting on Feb. 20 for all interested players. Seniors won’t be eligible to play because VHSL rules don’t allow them to compete on the JV level, but Harrington said seniors who want to help coach or manage the team are encouraged to come out. “This is something we want everybody to get excited about,” said Harrington, adding local parents Connie and Jeff Norberg have been active in getting the program off the ground. “We don’t want to be the last school in the district without it, and it’s something we hope to build into a contender in OC.” Harrington said the response on the girls’ side hasn’t been as strong as on the boys, but they’re hoping to field both teams this spring. They’re planning to name coaches from within the school system before Feb. 20, and OCHS has already pledged its support through transportation to practice fields and games. Finalizing a schedule is still a way off, but the Hornets plan to host a few home games on fields behind Prospect Heights Middle School that are currently home to the OCHS soccer teams. The lacrosse teams will practice on an open field behind Orange Elementary School. The duo is shooting for at least an eight-game schedule to run from mid-March to June, and work continues to fund needed equipment, such as helmets, gloves, sticks, pads, mouth guards and goggles (for the girls). Harrington worked with CLA President Steve Speelman in Culpeper and met several times with Culpeper County High School boys coach Scott Found, who began the program at CCHS in 2004 and took the Blue Devils to the state tournament in 2006 and 2007. Speelman coaches at Eastern View High School, which opened in 2008 and fielded its first lacrosse teams in the spring of 2009. “The big thing we want people to understand is everyone is welcome,” Harrington said. “From the coaches to the least experienced players, you’re not going to be alone out here.” OCHS lacrosse club forming Orange County High School plans to field boys and girls junior varsity club teams to begin competition in spring 2017. An informational meeting will be held on Feb. 20. Boys and girls in grades 8-11 are eligible. For more information or to register, check out oclacrosse.net, call (540) 718-8607 or email [email protected]. You can also check out OCHS Lax on Facebook.

“This is something we want everybody to get excited about,” said Harrington, adding local parents Connie and Jeff Norberg have been active in getting the program off the ground. “We don’t want to be the last school in the district without it, and it’s something we hope to build into a contender in OC.” Harrington said the response on the girls’ side hasn’t been as strong as on the boys, but they’re hoping to field both teams this spring. They’re planning to name coaches from within the school system before Feb. 20, and OCHS has already pledged its support through transportation to practice fields and games. Finalizing a schedule is still a way off, but the Hornets plan to host a few home games on fields behind Prospect Heights Middle School that are currently home to the OCHS soccer teams. The lacrosse teams will practice on an open field behind Orange Elementary School. The duo is shooting for at least an eight-game schedule to run from mid-March to June, and work continues to fund needed equipment, such as helmets, gloves, sticks, pads, mouth guards and goggles (for the girls). Harrington worked with CLA President Steve Speelman in Culpeper and met several times with Culpeper County High School boys coach Scott Found, who began the program at CCHS in 2004 and took the Blue Devils to the state tournament in 2006 and 2007. Speelman coaches at Eastern View High School, which opened in 2008 and fielded its first lacrosse teams in the spring of 2009. “The big thing we want people to understand is everyone is welcome,” Harrington said. “From the coaches to the least experienced players, you’re not going to be alone out here.” OCHS lacrosse club forming Orange County High School plans to field boys and girls junior varsity club teams to begin competition in spring 2017. An informational meeting will be held on Feb. 20. Boys and girls in grades 8-11 are eligible. For more information or to register, check out oclacrosse.net, call (540) 718-8607 or email [email protected]. You can also check out OCHS Lax on Facebook.

Best Bets for Friday, Jan. 20 The Daily Progress staff reports » Free Movie Friday screening of “Loving”: 7:30 p.m., Main Stage Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5362, free.

PVCC Named Top 10 Community College for Veteran, Military Students Posted: Jan 25, 2017 9:10 AM EST Release from Piedmont Virginia Community College: (Charlottesville, Va.) – Piedmont Virginia Community College has been named a top 10 gold-level Military Friendly® School Award recipient in the community college category for 2017 and is the only community college in Virginia to make the top 10. In November 2016, Victory Media, originator of the family of Military Friendly® employment, entrepreneurship and education resources for veterans and their families, published its special awards for 2017 Military Friendly® Schools and Employers. New this year, the Military Friendly® Awards showcase the most powerful and effective programs of more than 200 companies and 1,200 post-secondary schools that were designated as “Military Friendly®” in fall 2016. Of those designated, 154 employers and 541 schools have been recognized for excellence in different categories, highlighting not only whether a school is military friendly but evaluating how military-friendly each school actually is. Award levels are defined as: Top 10 Gold: A ranked list of the top 10 in a category based on a numerical score. Gold Medal: Schools scoring within 20 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. Silver Medal: Schools scoring within 30 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. Bronze Medal: Schools scoring within 40 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. “All of our Military Friendly® award recipients set the standard for excellence,” said Daniel Nichols, chief product officer of Victory Media and head of Military Friendly® development. “They offer exceptional examples of what it means not just to build a program that meets federal requirements, but one that serves the military and veteran community from classrooms to careers.” According to PVCC Veterans Advisor Jackie Fisher, PVCC sets itself apart because of its commitment to helping veterans and active duty military members acclimate to college life. One such initiative is Vets Connect, PVCC’s new mentoring and advocacy program for veterans, which aims to enrich the college experience for new student veterans by connecting them with retired veterans and volunteers. “Vets Connect is a huge asset for our student veterans,” said Fisher. “Many programs are committed to supporting students but struggle to make real connections with them. We are proud to call on the strengths of retired military in our community volunteers who dedicate time on a weekly basis to help our student veterans transition to civilian and college life.” To see a complete list of this year’s award winners, or to learn more about Military Friendly® ratings, visit http://militaryfriendly.com. To learn more about PVCC’s services for veterans, active duty and military dependents, visit www.pvcc.edu/veterans, or contact PVCC Veterans Advisor Jackie Fisher at 434.961.5282, or by emailing [email protected].

PVCC named top 10 community college for veteran and military students Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) Submitted Press Release | Piedmont Virginia Community College | Wednesday, January 25, 2017 (Charlottesville, Va.) – Piedmont Virginia Community College has been named a top 10 gold-level Military Friendly® School Award recipient in the community college category for 2017 and is the only community college in Virginia to make the top 10. In November 2016, Victory Media, originator of the family of Military Friendly® employment, entrepreneurship and education resources for veterans and their families, published its special awards for 2017 Military Friendly® Schools and Employers. New this year, the Military Friendly® Awards showcase the most powerful and effective programs of more than 200 companies and 1,200 post-secondary schools that were designated as “Military Friendly®” in fall 2016. Of those designated, 154 employers and 541 schools have been recognized for excellence in different categories, highlighting not only whether a school is military friendly but evaluating how military-friendly each school actually is. Award levels are defined as: ● Top 10 Gold: A ranked list of the top 10 in a category based on a numerical score. ● Gold Medal: Schools scoring within 20 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. ● Silver Medal: Schools scoring within 30 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. ● Bronze Medal: Schools scoring within 40 percent of the last-ranked (10th) institution. “All of our Military Friendly® award recipients set the standard for excellence,” said Daniel Nichols, chief product officer of Victory Media and head of Military Friendly® development. “They offer exceptional examples of what it means not just to build a program that meets federal requirements, but one that serves the military and veteran community from classrooms to careers.” According to PVCC Veterans Advisor Jackie Fisher, PVCC sets itself apart because of its commitment to helping veterans and active duty military members acclimate to college life. One such initiative is Vets Connect, PVCC’s new mentoring and advocacy program for veterans, which aims to enrich the college experience for new student veterans by connecting them with retired veterans and volunteers. “Vets Connect is a huge asset for our student veterans,” said Fisher. “Many programs are committed to supporting students but struggle to make real connections with them. We are proud to call on the strengths of retired military in our community—volunteers who dedicate time on a weekly basis to help our student veterans transition to civilian and college life.” To see a complete list of this year’s award winners, or to learn more about Military Friendly® ratings, visit http://militaryfriendly.com.To learn more about PVCC’s services for veterans, active duty and military dependents, visit www.pvcc.edu/veterans, or contact PVCC Veterans Advisor Jackie Fisher at 434.961.5282, or by emailing [email protected].

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- A local community college has been ranked highly for being military friendly. Piedmont Virginia Community College was named a top 10 gold-level Military Friend School by Victory Media, which means it is one of the top ten community colleges in the country. It is also the only community college in Virginia to reach the top ten ranking. This year, the Military Friends Awards are showcasing the most powerful and effective programs at more than 200 companies and 1,200 post-secondary schools that were designated as Military Friendly in the fall. Of those, 154 employers and 541 schools are recognized for excellence in different categories, evaluating exactly how military-friendly a school or company actually is. According to PVCC's Veterans Adviser Jackie Fisher, the college has a commitment to helping veterans and active duty military members acclimate to college life. One of the initiative at the school is the Vets Connect, which is a mentoring and advocacy program for veterans that aims to enrich their college experience by connecting them with retired veterans and volunteers. For more information, click on this links in the Related Links box or call Fisher at (434) 961-5282 or send her an email at [email protected].

Best Bets for Friday, Jan. 27 The Daily Progress staff reports Jan. 26, 2017 » Fourth Fridays Improv with Masquers student theater club: 6-8 p.m., Maxwell Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5376, free, no late seating allowed.

PVCC Introduces Grant Fund to Help Students with Financial Emergencies Posted: Jan 30, 2017 9:23 AM EST A college in Albemarle County is using a grant to help out students not dropout due to mounting bills. The goal of the Kathy Hudson Student Emergency Grant Fund is to help students remain enrolled at Piedmont Virginia Community College while dealing with a financial hardship. Money from the fund is to pay for things like car repair, loss of child care, or overdue utility bills. "Life doesn't always play fair and there's times when a financial emergency occurs and we don't want them to lose sight of their education. So we want to assist them through the hard times and keep them enrolled in college," said PVCC Financial Aid Director Crystal Filer-Ogden. Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible for the program. Most of the funds came from private donations. Piedmont Virginia Community College expects to spend around $20,000 a year to assist student financial emergencies. Release from Piedmont Virginia Community College: (Charlottesville, Va.) – Piedmont Virginia Community College has implemented a new emergency fund for students experiencing a financial hardship that may cause them to drop classes or withdraw from the college. The Kathy Hudson Student Emergency Grant Fund provides quick-response emergency grants to currently enrolled students taking six or more credits to help them remain enrolled in classes. Students must be in good academic standing and facing a short-term emergency such as sudden loss of housing, overdue utility bills, car repair, loss of child care, or other financial hardship. Assistance is provided in the form of a direct payment to a service provider, and does not require repayment to PVCC. “For many students here at PVCC, an unexpected financial emergency can easily derail their college education,” said Crystal Filer-Ogden, director of financial aid. “We want to see all our students succeed in earning a degree or certificate, so what better way to help those in need than providing short-term financial support that allows the student to remain enrolled at PVCC?” The fund is named in honor of Kathy Hudson, retired dean of PVCC’s Health and Life Sciences Division. Hudson worked at the college for more than 20 years and was instrumental in the development of numerous allied health programs. For more information about the Kathy Hudson Student Emergency Grant Fund, or to obtain a copy of the application, visit www.pvcc.edu/emergencyfund, or call434.961.6560.

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- A local community college wants to help students facing financial hardships that could cause them to drop out of classes or withdraw from the college. Piedmont Virginia Community College has created the Kathy Hudson Student Emergency Grant Fund, which will provide quick-response emergency grants to students currently enrolled in six or more credit hours to help them remain enrolled in classes. The students must be in good academic standing and facing a short-term emergency such as sudden loss of housing, overdue utility bills, car repairs, loss of child care, or other financial hardship. The assistance will come in the form of a direct payment to a service provider and does not require repayment to PVCC. "For many students here at PVCC, an unexpected financial emergency can easily derail their college education," said Crystal Filer-Ogden, director of financial aid. "We want to see all our students succeed in earning a degree or certificate, so what better way to help those in need than providing short-term financial support that allows the student to remain enrolled at PVCC?" The fund is named in honor of a retired dean of PVCC's Health and Life Sciences Division who worked at the college for more than 20 years. For more information on the program, call (434) 961-6560 or click on the link in the Related Links box.

Emergency financial assistance available for PVCC students The Daily Progress staff reports Jan 30, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College students who are facing financial hardship will benefit from a new grant. PVCC has established the Kathy Hudson Student Emergency Grant Fund for students facing a financial crisis that may force them to drop out. Assistance will be available to any student taking six or more credits who is dealing with a short- term emergency such as “a sudden loss of housing, overdue utility bills, car repair, loss of child care, or other financial hardship,” according to a statement from the college. The fund is named for the college’s retired dean of the Health and Life Sciences Division. Anyone seeking more information can visit pvcc.edu/emergencyfund or call (434) 961-6560.

PVCC president expresses support for students during travel ban The Daily Progress staff reports Jan 30, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College released a statement Monday expressing support for students affected by the travel ban implemented by President Donald Trump. Frank Friedman, president of PVCC, wrote that the college will do everything in its power — and within state and federal laws — to ensure its students complete their education at Piedmont. “The international members of the PVCC community enrich our campus,” Friedman wrote. “They are a welcome and vital part of our global mission.” In an interview Monday, Friedman said the college has about 23 students from the seven countries affected by the travel ban. Friedman said the administration is advising those students not to travel abroad during the 90-day ban. The college is trying to line up resources for those students — as well as undocumented immigrant students who could be affected by future executive orders. Administrators are working to find immigration law experts and psychological counselors who could help them with any issues that come up while class is in session. Friedman is one of many college administrators speaking out in support of international students who could be affected by the order, signed by Trump on Friday. Teresa A. Sullivan, president of the University of Virginia, pledged her support on Friday. Friedman said he wants PVCC’s courses to be available to anyone who might benefit. “Our main concern here is for our students — that they can access our education and complete their education,” he said.

Announcements for Feb. 1 through Feb. 7 The Daily Progress staff reports Jan 31, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College holds Getting Started information sessions for prospective students, including information on degree and certificate programs, placement tests, student services and other resources. Information sessions will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at Nelson Memorial Library in Lovingston, from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Louisa County Library in Mineral and from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at Fluvanna County Library in Palmyra. Additional sessions are scheduled in February. pvcc.edu/outreach. (4340 961-5275.

Hearing set for school budget By Terry Beigie Staff Writer Feb 1, 2017 The Greene County School Board met with the Greene County Board of Supervisors in a work session on Tuesday, Jan. 24, for a preliminary look at what to expect from the school district. On Jan. 25, the School Board met again in a work session to dive deep into the budget. A public hearing on the budget is set for Feb. 8 before it goes to the supervisors for final approval. An exact budget figure wasn’t released, but school officials said they will request an additional $1.6 million over last year from the county. The fiscal 2017 school budget was $35,424,454. “We’ve been really working at looking at the requests, looking at the needs and prioritizing,” said Greene County Schools Superintendent Andrea Whitmarsh. “Our enrollment’s flat overall pretty much, but it is shifting. There have been big increases at the high school and middle school over the past few years. The big things we have to address are [Virginia Retirement Services] and the health insurance.” The retirement services portion is rising about 1.5 percent which totals a 10 percent increase in the amount the division needs from last year. School Board Chairman Leah Paladino of Midway District said the average salary increase was 2.2 percent for surrounding counties. “Nothing is in stone for anyone yet, but most of them were saying a combination of step increase and the other part was an additional percentage,” Paladino said of an earlier meeting with nearby school officials. “We were the only division who said we hadn’t had our workshop yet. Basically, what that means is it would be pretty demoralizing if we were the only division in the whole Central Virginia area without a raise.” “We talked last year that we needed to get our scale to be more linear,” Whitmarsh said. “A step for a professional staff is an average of 1 percent but it’s more of other categories of job. However, average means some get zero and some get five. So we’re not at a place where our scale is necessarily linear.” “We can align our steps so that they’re more linear, which is going to take a significant amount of work and money to do,” Paladino said. “This probably isn’t the year to do that.” The board agreed to include a 2 percent raise across the board for the division, which is roughly $480,000. “I think we should start with 2 percent. It’s respectful of the special challenges [supervisors] have. But it’s also expressing that it’s a priority to us to retain our staff,” Paladino said. “It’s not unrealistic. I’d rather say 3 but I don’t feel like we’re hearing that from most localities.” The division is projecting a 15 percent increase in health insurance. “Last year we got the information [on health insurance] the day after the board adopted the budget,” Whitmarsh said. “I’m hoping it’s more like 10 percent, but I don’t think we can count on that. We have to make a decision if we want to continue to hold employees harmless and not passing along the increases.” “It’s a really nice thing that we’ve done all these years” and separates Greene from other counties, said Rodney Kibler, Monroe District. Whitmarsh said the division received a record number of requests, of which more than $700,000 would not be presented this year, including a science and civics seventh-grade teacher at the middle school, special education teachers, English Language Learners positions, elective teacher at the middle school, high school guidance counselor, facilities coordinator, online learning coordinator and a teacher mentor. “I don’t think a lot of people know where we’re at and where we’re headed in terms of virtual learning opportunities,” said Assistant Superintendent Bryan Huber. “We already have 188 online courses not including Piedmont Virginia Community College courses. This is a position that helps us manage it.” “I personally believe there’s tremendous value to our school system for all of these things,” Whitmarsh said. “I think we present our full needs budget” to the supervisors, said Sharon Mack, Ruckersville District. “I think we ask for what will help us move forward,” Paladino said. “If it gets denied then we’ll have to make tough choices.” “The data point that was kind of eye-opening for us at the [Virginia Association of School Superintendents] conference was the state funding equalized for inflation is actually $600 less per child than in 2009,” said Kristie Spencer, director of business and facilities. “We will continue to look for ways to mitigate the costs, including possibilities for shifting resources,” Whitmarsh said. The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the Tuesday, Feb. 8, School Board meeting at 7 p.m. at the County Administration Building.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- A family of Syrian refugees in Charlottesville is speaking out about how they're feeling in light of the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's recent travel ban. The laughter in the household is a far cry from what the family of five left behind in their home country. "In Syria, there was war and chaos," said mother, Ola Mansour. In the face of violence, Mansour and her husband, Ahmad Alboni, were forced to leave Syria with their three young children in tow. "They don't have a future for children in Syria," said Alboni. After three years as refugees in Jordan, the family was offered refuge in Charlottesville where they've remained for seven months. "We come to here because this, USA, is country for democracy and safe," said Mansour, who speaks little English. In the past week, Mansour said the feelings of safety and hope have since turned to concern and fear. "This week, we are scared," she said. "We are scared what we're doing. I don't know what will happen. Now the future is not clear." The family is directly affected by Trump's executive order, as they had been awaiting the arrival of Alboni's parents. It is something they're now not sure will ever happen. "[My husband's] mother and his father, he can't come, we are waiting," said Mansour. "Maybe he don't come and we are scared for this because this mom and dad, we need it." In Syria, Mansour worked as an engineer while Alboni was an accountant. They currently work steady jobs and are beginning classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College. They said they desperately want to contribute to society and become part of the community. "We are not here to sit and sleep or anything," said Mansour. "We are here to make a future to us and my children." The family was settled in the city through the International Rescue Committee. Following Trump's order, incoming refugees through the IRC have been temporarily halted.

February 6, 2017

RICHMOND, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- Two groups of Piedmont Virginia Community College students recently went to Richmond to visit the General Assembly. The first group of students were at the state Capitol on Jan. 25, and they got to meet with Virginia Community College System Chancellor Glenn DuBois as well as several state senators and delegates. "Students need to have experiences like these," said PVCC Assistant Professor of Political Science Connie Jorgensen. "Our students need to know how the system works and that they have a voice. Even if they aren't able to change a public official's mind, they know that they have the power to step up and let their voices be heard." Delegate David Toscano introduced the students to the House of Delegates, and they advocated to minimize budget cuts to PVCC and other colleges in the community college system and for salary increases for faculty and staff. PVCC President Frank Friedman, who accompanied the students to Richmond, says state support for full-time equivalent students has dropped from $3,600 to $3,100, which costs PVCC about $1.5 million each year. He also said faculty and staff have had one salary increase in the last seven years, which has an impact on PVCC's ability to recruit and retain quality personnel. Members of PVCC's Virginia21 Club also visited the General Assembly on Jan. 31, when they joined students from more than 150 students from schools across Virginia to advocated in support of student loan protection bills and against one that would eliminate millions of in-state financial aid. "These issues directly impact our students," said Friedman. "It's important that they are not only aware of what's happening at the state level and how it might affect them, but that they have the opportunity to voice their concerns directly to our legislators."

Local Virginia GO group sets first public meeting The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 6, 2017 The local chapter of a new statewide economic planning association will host its first meeting at the University of Virginia Research Park next week. The Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity, or Virginia GO for short, is a state-funded initiative creating regional planning councils throughout the state. Leaders in the public and private sectors will meet periodically to discuss ways to boost economic growth in their area. The local chapter, known as Regional Council 9, will host its first public meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday at the University of Virginia Research Park at 1001 Research Park Blvd. The council will meet on the fourth floor. Members of Regional Council 9 include business leaders from eight Central Virginia localities, including the Charlottesville area, the presidents of UVa and Piedmont Virginia Community College and local elected officials. More information is available at govirginia.org.

Announcements for Feb. 8 through Feb. 14 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 7, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College holds Getting Started information sessions for prospective students, including information on degree and certificate programs, placement tests, student services and other resources. Information sessions are held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Fluvanna County Library in Palmyra, from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at PVCC’s Stanardsville Campus and from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Crozet Library. pvcc.edu/outreach. (4340 961-5275.

PVCC announces new vice president of institutional advancement By News Staff | Posted: Tue 1:09 PM, Feb 07, 2017 ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- Piedmont Virginia Community College has a new vice president of institutional advancement and development. Harry Stillerman will serve as the executive director of the PVCC Educational Foundation and will manage college fundraising and major gifts planning, the PVCC Alumni Association and student scholarships, as well as overseeing grants development, marketing and media relations and outreach. He has more than ten years of experience in fundraising and development. According to a release, Stillerman used to work as the foundation director of Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina; as the development and college relations direct at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina; and as the assistant vice president of development at the Foundation for the Carolinas in Charlotte. He also worked as a banks and business services officer at Branch Banking and Trust and First Citizens Bank in Statesville.

Harry Stillerman Joins PVCC Posted: Feb 07, 2017 Release from Piedmont Virginia Community College: (Charlottesville, Va.)– Harry Stillerman has joined Piedmont Virginia Community College as the new vice president of institutional advancement and development. Stillerman has more than 10 years of experience in fundraising and development and previously worked as the foundation director of Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C.; as the development and college relations director at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, N.C.; and as the assistant vice president of development at the Foundation for the Carolinas in Charlotte, N.C. Prior to working in development, Stillerman worked as a banking and business services officer at Branch Banking and Trust and First Citizens Bank in Statesville, N.C. As vice president of institutional advancement and development, Stillerman will serve as executive director of the PVCC Educational Foundation and will manage college fundraising and major gifts planning, the PVCC Alumni Association and student scholarships, as well as oversee a variety of campus departments including grants development; marketing and media relations; and outreach. He replaces former vice president Jim Ross, who left PVCC in 2016 to take on the presidency of Pamlico Community College in Grantsboro, N.C. “PVCC is thrilled to have Harry Stillerman as our new vice president,” said Frank Friedman, PVCC president. “Harry brings a wide breadth of skills to us in the areas of development, fundraising and public relations. His experience as a financial officer in the banking industry will be an asset to the Educational Foundation as we work to secure new funds to support scholarships and other valuable resources for our students.” Stillerman has a master’s degree in community college administration from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in leadership studies from the University of Richmond. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to be joining PVCC,” said Stillerman. “The college has a remarkable story to tell. It’s a place that has been transforming lives and enriching our community for nearly half a century. I look forward to working together with employees, alumni, friends and supporters in efforts to secure additional resources for the college and help write exciting new chapters to the PVCC story.” To learn more about PVCC’s institutional advancement and development division, visit www.pvcc.edu/donors, or call 434-961-5226.

Art events (week of 02.09.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 8, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College Gallery: “Inner Outlook,” works by Aaron Eichorst, on display in the North Gallery, and “Idle Worship,” works by Ailey Greig, and “Life Size: New Paintings of the Herd,” works by Nancy Bass, in the South Gallery, will open Friday and remain on display through March 29. (434) 977-3900.

Art notes (week of 02.09.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 8, 2017 PVCC opens three new exhibits An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday for new exhibits at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s art galleries in the V. Earl Dickinson Building for Humanities and Social Sciences. The North Gallery will feature “Inner Outlook,” an exhibit of Aaron Eichorst’s mixed-media works. The South Gallery is set to host Ailey Greig’s paintings in “Idle Workship” and “Life Size: New Paintings of the Herd” by Nancy Bass. The works will be up through March 29.

‘Capital of the resistance’ supports its immigrants Feb. 8, 2017 Since 1998, the International Rescue Committee has welcomed nearly 4,000 refugees to Charlottesville from more than 32 countries. Ola Mansour is one of them. “Charlottesville is safe,” says Mansour, who in June 2016 relocated to Charlottesville from Jordan with her husband and three children. Three years prior, they had fled to the Middle Eastern country bordering Syria from Damascus, its capital and their home. “[There is] no life in Syria because there is war,” she says. “Every day is scary. People die, children die. Everything is difficult.” Mansour and her husband, Ahmad Alboni, were expecting Alboni’s parents to join them in Charlottesville this week, but those plans were halted with President Donald Trump’s January 27 executive order barring refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries—“Now everything is stopped and they can’t come,” Mansour says. “We are very sad.” Though the ban was temporarily lifted February 3, at press time Mansour said she was unsure if her in-laws would be permitted to travel to America. In Syria, Mansour was an engineer and her husband was an accountant. Now they study at Piedmont Virginia Community College and continue to work steady jobs, Mansour at UVA Medical Center. About their local support system, she says, “We love everyone in Charlottesville and they love us.” Since the travel ban was initiated, IRC volunteer coordinator Diana Cole Connolly says she has received more than 50 volunteer applications and nearly 200 since the presidential election. “We typically get about two dozen applications in a given month,” she says, adding that, at press time, the IRC had also raised $6,490 from 71 donors since January 27. For people who want to support the IRC and refugees in the community, she suggests calling local and state representatives to say they support the committee’s work and giving cash donations to the IRC. “We’re going to continue accepting volunteer applications, but, realistically, it may be several months before we’re able to process them,” she says, especially if the IRC won’t be receiving any refugee families for a prolonged period. Executive Director Harriet Kuhr says the ban is “sort of like slamming the door on refugees. This is a betrayal of who we are as a nation. America has a history of welcoming immigrants who are escaping war and crisis and need a safe place to resettle and rebuild their lives.” Kuhr was one of many speakers, including Gold Star father Khizr Khan and Pam Northam, wife of Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, at Mayor Mike Signer’s heavily attended January 31 rally to declare Charlottesville a “capital of the resistance.” The mayor said he’d met with a dozen local refugees the previous weekend and listened to “the fear, the confusion, the anxiety” caused by Trump’s order. “They are hearing the message America doesn’t want them,” said Signer. Several groups have stepped up in an effort to negate that feeling. Legal Aid Justice Center, which is based in Charlottesville, led the charge against the president’s executive order on immigration that stranded many arriving into the United States. It represented two Yemeni brothers, Tareq and Ammar Aziz, who arrived at Dulles International Airport early January 28 with immigration visas, only to be handcuffed and, according to a suit, coerced into signing documents waiving their rights to permanent resident status. The 21- and 19-year-old brothers were shipped back to Ethiopia, where their flight originated, while Legal Aid obtained a temporary restraining order barring such actions. Virginia joined the suit January 31, and the Azizes were reunited with their U.S. citizen father February 6. Legal Aid raised more than $36,000 in a week using CrowdJustice, a new website that allows donations to specific cases, such as this one. “This is our American launch,” says Kip Wainscott, who is helping bring the British-based platform to the U.S. “It’s our first case. We moved up our launch.” The platform, he says, “is a new approach to accessing justice.” And while a spokesperson for the University of Virginia has announced that more than 60 students and faculty could be affected by the travel ban, President Teresa Sullivan, Executive Vice President and Provost Tom Katsouleas and several student groups have joined forces to protect them. University police may ask students for their immigration status during the course of an investigation when that information is relevant, says UVA spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn, but “such a request is very rare at UVA, where the vast majority of identification requests are addressed by an individual providing to the officer his or her university-issued ID or driver’s license.” Attiya Latif, a third-year student and chair of the Minority Rights Coalition, says her group helped organize the January 28 protest against Trump’s executive order at UVA that drew hundreds of students and community members. “We are not going to be deterred from our work that we do on a daily basis,” she says. “And we are not going to let fear or despair stop us. …To anyone who’s feeling afraid or isolated, there’s always a way to keep fighting and to keep making a difference.”

One actor, 16 different characters in “Rattlesnake” By Allison Brophy Champion Feb 8, 2017 John Hardy portrays 16 different characters, including a 6-year-old boy and a 75- year-old French woman, in his original one-man show, “Rattlesnake,” on stage Saturday afternoon at the Theatre House in Castleton. A drama with comedy inserted, the play’s main character is Sherman, whose driving ambition in life is to be a father. “Except he doesn’t fit into the world very well,” said 59-year-old Hardy, of Abingdon. “He’s kind of an outsider and he can’t find a woman to be with. His social abilities are not the best thing about him so he retreats to this piece of land on the prairie where he meets the rattlesnake, and it becomes his friend. It’s through the rattlesnake that he discovers his value in life.” Hardy wrote the play about 12 years ago and has since performed it more than 100 times in venues across the country. His inspiration for it was a story he heard about someone getting bitten by a rattlesnake who was worried about getting bit again. “Rattlesnake” is largely set in West Texas, where the creatures thrive, taking place over the course of 30 years, featuring many different voices. “It’s almost like all of these characters are channeled through the main character. Each one has their own physical life that I have created and each has a very particular vocal life,” said Hardy. “Sometimes I will have two or three characters or more in one scene and they talk back and forth between each other; even though they have a conversation you’re able to know exactly who they are.” The main character tries everything he can to achieve fatherhood, lending a sense of desperation, urgency and excitement to the play, culminating in a flurry of activity at the end. Hardy said he sticks to the script with each performance, but that each performance feels different. “The script releases me into the world of the play every time,” he said. “I allow it to work on me every single time so it’s as if I am doing it for the first time.” Hardy prepares for portraying 16 different characters by staying active. “From the moment I wake up, I start exercising and stretching out and getting my voice ready,” he said. “In the two or three hours leading up to the play I am constantly moving.” Raised in the urban environment outside of Newark, New Jersey, Hardy got his start in the dramatic arts as a student at East Tennessee University. “I had never been in a play before in my life. In fact, I was getting ready to walk on the football team and I went to a play and wondered if I could do that,” he said. So he auditioned, got a part and was further influenced by a drama teacher. “It took off from there—I trained myself as an actor, director and playwright,” Hardy said. He’s been at it for the past three decades, directing more than 70 productions at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon with which he is still associated. Hardy has also toured nationwide in the dramatic arts for as long and recently received the Sara Spencer Award for lifetime achievement from the Southeastern Theatre Conference. His performance this weekend in Castleton, Rappahannock County, kicks off the 20th anniversary of the Castleton in Performance Season. “We are honored to have John kick off the new year in his brilliant performance of ‘Rattlesnake,’” said Dietlinde Maazel, CEO and artistic director at Castleton. It was in 1997 that she and her late husband, Maestro Lorin Maazel, converted an overlooked chicken house into today’s Castleton Theatre House, an intimate, state-of-the-art 140-seat proscenium venue. Associate Artistic Director Katy Brown will direct “Rattlesnake” at Castleton. Burnett Thompson, director of Castleton in Performance, called Hardy’s performance revolutionary. The playwright said “Rattlesnake” is hysterically funny at times as one would expect when 16 different characters from all over the planet mingle. The main character ultimately finds meaning through his interactions with the venomous reptile, leading to a career as a noted chef. Hardy said the message of the play is self-discovery. “It’s hard to find out who you are. It’s hard to find where you belong in the universe and yet there is a place for every single human being in this world,” he said. “Rattlesnake” will be on stage in the Castleton Theatre House at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Hardy will also perform the play at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. Tickets can be purchased online at CastletonFestival.org.

PVCC names new VP of advancement, development The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 8, 2017 Longtime community college fundraiser Harry Stillerman will head the foundation at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Stillerman has been named the college’s vice president for institutional advancement and development. He replaces Jim W. Ross, who stepped down from the position last year to take a new job as president of Pamlico Community College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Stillerman has spent most of his career in North Carolina, working in various fundraising and development positions at three different community colleges. Most recently, he was foundation director at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina. In his new position at PVCC, Stillerman will serve as executive director of the Educational Foundation and will oversee several administrative departments, including marketing and media relations.

Feb 8 2017 Learning from Our Past 2016 1 year ago PVCC President Frank Friedman told supervisors last month that 626 Greene residents took credit courses with the community college, making up 8 percent of the total enrollment for the college in 2015; a third of those took courses at the Eugene Giuseppe Center in Stanardsville.

Best Bets for Friday, Feb. 10 The Daily Progress staff reports » “Rattlesnake”: Actor and playwright John Hardy stars in original play, 7:30 p.m., Main Stage Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5376, $10, $8 seniors and students.

Community Calendar for the week of 2/9 Staff Feb 9, 2017

One Mic Stand, Spoken Word On Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at Piedmont Virginia Community College, 501 College Drive, Charlottesville. Hosted by United Nations of Comedy Tour founder Ty Cooper, this series for spoken word artists features both seasoned and up- and-coming performers doling out everything from poetry and comedy to political satire, storytelling and more. Sign up to perform at the PVCC Box Office starting at 6 p.m. or just enjoy the show. For more information, call the box office at (434) 961-5376 or visit www.pvcc.edu/performingarts.

PVCC's Showing of "Hidden Figures" Rescheduled for March 17 Posted: Feb 09, 2017 Press Release from Piedmont Virginia Community College: (Charlottesville, Va.) – Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Free Movie Friday showing of the critically acclaimed drama, “Hidden Figures,” originally scheduled for Feb. 17, has been rescheduled for March 17. The sci-fi drama, “Arrival,” will be shown in its place. Starring Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner, “Arrival” tells the story of linguistics professor Louise Banks, who is tasked with interpreting an alien language after the arrival of 12 mysterious spaceships. “Arrival” will be shown on Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m., in the Main Stage Theatre in the V. Earl Dickinson Building on PVCC’s Main Campus in Charlottesville. The event is free and is open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seating is limited, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early. “Hidden Figures,” which was originally scheduled to be February’s free movie, will be shown on Friday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m., in PVCC’s V. Earl Dickinson Building. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, “Hidden Figures” tells the true life story of the female African-American mathematicians who played a vital role in the development of NASA’s space program. Sponsored by PVCC’s Student Art Club, the Free Movie Fridays series is held once a month during the fall and spring semesters. For more information, contact Beryl Solla, PVCC professor of art, at 434.961.5362, or email [email protected]. PVCC’s spring 2017 line-up of visual and performing arts events is available online at www.pvcc.edu/performingarts.

Generation Us: PVCC classes can help take stress out of retirement planning The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 9, 2017 Many folks find themselves working longer to boost their savings and investments and make solid plans for retirement in the future. If, however, you’re simply putting off retirement decisions because everything seems too complicated and you don’t know where to start, Piedmont Virginia Community College has some classes that can help turn it all around. PVCC Workforce Services’ Passport to Retirement sessions will be offered from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 25 to March 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 11 to May 25 and from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 23 to June 6 for $59. Topics to be covered include figuring out where your retirement income will come from, whether you are saving enough money, how to set realistic retirement goals, how to invest for the future and how to protect wealth and provide for your family. The fee includes an in-depth workbook and a retirement planning data form Medicare Basics will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. May 9 for $59. This class will cover Medicare’s parts, benefits, rules and enrollment periods. Marci Kramer, a certified senior advisor, also will let students know where they can turn for help if they need it. Social Security — What You Need to Know will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. March 1 and from 10 a.m. to noon March 25 for $25. The class will explore maximizing benefits and making decisions now to get the most out of Social Security in the future. Students will learn how to read their statements and how to claim benefits. Other topics will explore how divorce, working, IRAs, employer plan distributions and other issues can affect you. A workbook is included. These classes also are useful for folks who are trying to help aging parents, spouses or other loved ones get ready for the future. When you sign up online for Passport to Retirement or Social Security — What You Need to Know, if enough space is available, you’ll be able to invite a guest for free. Sign up online at pvcc.edu/workforceservices and then call (434) 961- 5354 to see if you can bring your guest along.

PVCC winemaking program expands its horizons By Derek Quizon, Feb. 12, 2017 Students in Richard Hewitt’s comparative winemaking class at Piedmont Virginia Community College this spring will have a unique opportunity to study their subject in person. Hewitt will lead a tour group of 14 guests on a trip to the Duoro Valley in Portugal, an ancient winemaking region best known for its port wines. Those who can pay the $2,950 fee will tour a 12th-century monastery, stay overnight in a castle and, of course, enjoy some of the best wines the region has to offer. In other words, it is not a typical community college class. Hewitt said he wanted his students to be exposed to a wine culture that is totally different from the one in Virginia — which is in its infancy compared with the 2,000-year-old Portuguese tradition. “Most of the people in the program want to either become winemakers and open their own wineries,” Hewitt said. “I think it’s very important to understand how winemaking is done in other places.” The trip is not an official, credited PVCC offering — officials say the college doesn’t have the budget to cover the insurance costs — but it can go toward one of PVCC’s non-academic credit workforce credentials in enology, said Greg Rosko, director of the college’s workforce services. PVCC does offer study abroad trips through third-party companies, but the enology trip came about informally. Hewitt, who has been involved in wines and winemaking since the 1980s, now lives in Portugal for part of the year. “Richard is sort of marketing this trip to our students,” Rosko said. “He approached us and asked if any of our students would be interested.” Hewitt led his first PVCC-affiliated trip in November, when he brought students to the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. He said he plans to lead fall trips to Alentejo and spring trips to the Duoro Valley each year. To make the trip economical, Hewitt is allowing non-students to tag along on their upcoming trip to the Duoro Valley. They will have more flexibility in their schedules, Hewitt said. When one thinks of winemaking, Portugal may not be the place that first comes to mind. Hewitt said he’s interested in the culture there because it is different. Although winemaking in Portugal dates back to the Roman Empire, the country only recently modernized the industry — winemakers were forced to adapt in order to compete when Portugal entered the European common market in the 1980s. On the other hand, Hewitt said, winemakers have begun to realize the value of preserving some of the traditional folkways — at some wineries in Portugal, people still stomp grapes with their feet, or leave them to ferment in open clay pots. “I think the fact that they have their own indigenous varieties is very interesting,” Hewitt said. “They have wines that don’t taste like wines anywhere else.” Bob Hartless, a student who accompanied Hewitt to Alentejo last fall, said he didn’t think much about Portuguese wines prior to taking Hewitt’s class. After trying a few and deciding it was worth learning more, Hartless signed up for the trip. Hartless said his favorite parts of the trip had to do with learning about the history and the culture of Portugal — through the museums, monasteries and cultural attractions that didn’t always connect to winemaking. The highlight, he said, was shopping at a village market on a Saturday morning near one of their hotels. “It was just great to, for a moment, pause from all the winemaking stuff, walk down to the village and talk to people,” Hartless said. “It’s a country where I found the people to be very warm and outgoing.” Anyone seeking more information on the trip can call PVCC Workforce Services at (434) 961-5227. Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].

Scholarship fundraiser honors late Charlottesville education leader Grace Tinsley was the first African-American woman appointed to Charlottesville's School Board. Josh Mandell | Monday, February 13, 2017 A gala in Charlottesville this Saturday will celebrate the life of the late community activist Grace Tinsley and raise funds for a scholarship established in her honor. “We need smart, intelligent young people to go to college and get involved in our community,” said Tinsley’s daughter, Suzette Holt. Tinsley was the first African-American woman to serve on the Charlottesville School Board. At the time of her appointment in 1971, the city’s schools were still struggling to adjust to racial integration. “[Tinsley] used her voice on the board to make sure that people were treated fairly,” Holt said. “She wasn’t intimidated by people in power … She was strong and determined.” In 1976, following 18 years of work at the University of Virginia Hospital, Tinsley was hired as Charlottesville’s coordinator of school health. After she retired in 1992, Tinsley successfully lobbied the state government for a new public defender’s office in Charlottesville. She also served on the board of Piedmont Virginia Community College. Holt remembers her mother taking an interest in students’ lives, and encouraging them to apply to colleges and jobs they thought were beyond their reach. “She would be very proud to have her name attached to a scholarship,” Holt said. The Charlottesville Democratic Party began awarding the Grace Tinsley Scholarship to Charlottesville High School seniors from low- or middle-income households soon after Tinsley’s death in 2006. Since then, 30 CHS graduates have received scholarships of about $1,500, and an additional $500 to $1,000 for their second year of college. The value of the scholarship and the number of recipients each year are dependent on proceeds from the annual Scholarship Bash. Last year’s class of five scholarship winners was the largest ever. The Charlottesville Democrats’ scholarship committee chooses winners for their leadership abilities, problem-solving skills and community service participation, and for displaying Tinsley’s defining personal attributes: courage, humor and perseverance. The scholarship committee also recognizes Charlottesville City Schools support staff with the Unsung Hero award. This year’s winners are Camille Allers, an instructional assistant at Buford Middle School; and Dominique Williams, an intervention associate at Charlottesville High. Holt said the Scholarship Bash is a nonpartisan event, highlighted by joyful music and dancing. “It brings people of different ages, races and religions together for a very good cause,” she said. Kiara Redd-Martin, a 2008 CHS graduate, was among the first winners of the Grace Tinsley Scholarship. “I felt honored … that there was a group of people out there who noticed that I was making the right choices for myself and my community,” she said.

Redd-Martin went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in human services from Old Dominion University, and is currently pursuing a master’s in clinical social work at Virginia Commonwealth University. She said that she shares Tinsley’s passion for empowering marginalized communities and bringing attention to unseen problems of race relations. “I know I have many years before I can even approach the level of impact that [Tinsley] had on her community,” Redd- Martin said. “I can only hope that I’m moving in the right direction.” The 2017 Grace Tinsley Scholarship Bash will be held at the Carver Recreation Center on Saturday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, which are $40, include dinner and dessert prepared by culinary arts students from the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center.

CBJ: Upcoming business-related events Feb 13, 2017 Northern Piedmont Small Farms Conference. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Piedmont Virginia Community College-Stanardsville campus. $25 includes materials and lunch. tinyurl.com/smallfarms2017. Register in advance at (434) 985-5236.

Officials Meet at UVA to Discuss Ways to Create Jobs for Central Va. Posted: Feb 13, 2017 3:18 PM EST Updated: Feb 13, 2017 3:46 PM EST CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Central Virginia leaders met in Charlottesville to brainstorm ways to create jobs in the region. GO Virginia Regional Council 9 met for the first time Monday, February 13, at the University of Virginia Research Park. The council is made up of 23 leaders representing public and private sectors. “We have representatives from all over the region; from Fauquier and Rappahannock in the north, all the way to Albemarle and Fluvanna in the south," said Brian Cole- Leading. Members include UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan, Piedmont Virginia Community College President Dr. Frank Friedman, and elected officials. By getting these representatives together, leaders say the future of the central Virginia economy can better grasp where there is room for improvement in all areas. Members hope this will put the commonwealth back on top as far as economy goes. This partnership is thanks to the GO Virginia Statewide Initiative and state funding that was just approved last year. Future meetings are expected to be open to the public.

GO Virginia Council meets ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- A new council is bringing leaders in education, government and business together to help grow the economy in Central Virginia. Members of the new GO Virginia Regional Council 9 include the presidents of the University of Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community College, as well as heads of businesses and elected officials from eight counties including Albemarle. The goal of the group is to generate private sector growth and create job opportunities. The chair of the group, Brian Cole, says the first project is already planned. "The very first initiative that will come out of this is an analysis of where we are regionally from an economic development perspective and where we might improve," said Cole. "Do we have a technology gap? Do we have a human resources gap? Things like that." The group is expecting to receive its certification from the GO Virginia board in Richmond on March 14.

Area GO Virginia council formed to compete for job-creation grants Aaron Richardson | Monday, February 13, 2017 The GO Virginia Region 9 Council met Monday at the University of Virginia Research Park to discuss the council’s makeup, purpose and governing documents. The 23-member council includes government officials and businesspeople from Charlottesville, Albemarle and the surrounding counties. Sitting on the panel are supervisors from Nelson, Culpeper, Orange and Louisa counties and the administrators of Nelson and Orange. Neither Charlottesville nor Albemarle County has a government representative on the panel. The group also includes President Frank Friedman of Piedmont Virginia Community College, and University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan. “In a nutshell, our goal was to create a council diverse in all ways, with a focus on geographic inclusion and a broad sector base,” said Brian Cole executive site lead for LexisNexis in Charlottesville and acting council chairman. “I am not sure if it is luck or relentless adherence to the dogma that a rising tide lifts all boats … but we have been working without politics or ego.” Region 9 Council has until Friday to submit a letter of intent to join GO Virginia. Helen Cauthen, president of the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development, and her staff prepared and will submit the letter. Members cast informal votes to approve a set of bylaws and an acting chair and vice chair, but cannot formally adopt bylaws or officers until the GO Virginia state board formally certifies the council at its March 14 meeting. The bylaws were adapted from a set provided by GO Virginia, said attorney David Pettit of law firm Lenhart Pettit, who prepared the documents. “These came largely from the GO Virginia recommended bylaws, but we made some changes that we thought dovetailed nicely with the region,” he said. The Region 9 Council will lead Central Virginia’s efforts to obtain grants through GO Virginia, a program initiated by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to incentivize localities and the private sector to collaborate on economic development projects. GO Virginia will provide grants from a newly created state fund for business development and retention, education and government reform projects with at least two participating localities. GO Virginia divides the state into 11 regions, each with a governing council in charge of organizing and prioritizing grant applications from its members. Virginia did not bounce back from the recession as quickly as some states, due in part to reliance on federal jobs, said Bill Shelton, director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. “It is not hard to understand that what happened in Virginia coming out of the recession is that we did not grow back the way that some other places did,” he said. “We are not in the top 10; we are down in the middle of the pack in terms of growth of the state economy.” Focusing on developing each region without pitting them against each other will build the overall state economy, Shelton said. “The mission is, basically, through a proven track record of incentives, grow the number of those high-wage jobs,” he said. “We know that as we do that, we will increase the impact for the overall state economy.” GO Virginia grants will be aimed at credentialing and training programs, site development and cross-regional bioscience collaborations, among other things, Shelton said. The program will not fund incentives for individual private companies or economic development marketing. After the regional councils are certified in March, each body will develop its own economic growth and diversification plan. The state body is expected to begin hearing grant proposals later this year, Cauthen said. GO Virginia is not affiliated with the city of Charlottesville’s Growing Opportunities training programs, which currently focus on bus drivers and utility maintenance workers.

Fundraising shortfall: City grant helps keep heritage center afloat When Charlottesville decided to keep the historic Jefferson School and its prime real estate as a community center rather than selling it for condos, a complicated financial structure was required to make the $18 million rehab of the 1926 high school possible. Four years after the renovated school reopened in 2012, fundraising that was supposed to pay off the loans hasn’t happened, and the city has pledged a $950,000 grant to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center to cover its rent for the next few years. The city sold the school for $100,000 in 2011 to the private Jefferson School Community Partnership LLLP, a move needed to procure the tax credits and loans to make the renovation possible. The plan envisioned was that the nonprofit Jefferson School Foundation would raise enough money to pay off the loans and support the African American Heritage Center. It hasn’t quite happened that way. The partnership is working on refinancing a nearly $6 million loan, and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center spun off to be its own nonprofit last year. Heritage center board secretary Elizabeth Breeden feels the original plan to go from raising “zero to $5 million in five years was setting someone up for failure,” she says. “You’ve got to establish a track record, which the building has done.” The whole idea of a museum and cultural center to tell the story of African-Americans in Charlottesville is “a new concept,” says Breeden, one that potential contributors were waiting to see prove itself. When the center was under the umbrella of the Jefferson School Foundation, it had some difficulty raising money, says Breeden. “You can’t ask donors for rent.” The heritage center likely wouldn’t have been able to pay its $210,000 rent without the proposed $950,000 grant from the city. That, says executive director Andrea Douglas, was a recommendation from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces. Douglas says the heritage center is facing the same challenges as every other nonprofit in Charlottesville. “We’re trying to raise $254,000 to pay for programming, common area fees and staff,” she says. “The board understands its fundraising job.” The African American Heritage Center is getting ready to roll out a fundraising campaign that is “aspirational and worthy of what’s been asked of it by the Blue Ribbon Commission,” says Breeden. Rent for tenants in the building could go down if the Jefferson School Community Partnership succeeds in refinancing a nearly $6 million loan, says partnership president Steve Blaine. “We’ve already got a commitment from the bank for better terms than we have now,” he says. “We don’t know where interest rates will be when the loan is due in another year.” He says the $500,000 the city chips in to rent Carver Recreation Center helps make it possible to pay back the loan from rent. Other tenants like Sentara, Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging have five- year leases, and most plan to stay at the school, says Blaine. Some tenants had feared rents would increase, but with the new loan, organizations like Literacy Volunteers could end up saving $15,000 a year, according to executive director Ellen Osborne. “It really is a privilege to be here,” she says. Osborne believes the city should pay the heritage center’s rent. “This is their building anyway,” she says. “That would be the moral thing to do. They cover rent for McGuffey and the Discovery Museum.” That way, the heritage center could focus on its programs, she says. “It’s to everyone in the building’s benefit if the heritage center flourishes.” And some, like former city councilor Dede Smith, who is on the African American Heritage Center Board, would like to see the city buy the building, as it did with McGuffey Art Center, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for now. Her hope is the city will do a cost-benefit analysis, and weigh how much it already has spent on the building, including the $6 million CEDA loan, the $500,000 annual rent for Carver Recreation Center and the grants like the $950,000 it plans to make to the heritage center. Over the past four years, the city has budgeted $120,000 to the heritage center and $30,000 to the Jefferson School Foundation. “The building is undisputedly the most important African-American monument in the city,” says Smith. “Why wouldn’t we survive?” asks Douglas, at a time when the city is confronting its racial history with Civil War monuments. “If you look at the present climate,” she says, “it’s important.” KEY PLAYERS Jefferson School City Center: The building that was once the only educational option for black students in Charlottesville and Albemarle now houses nonprofits and is anchored by Carver Recreation Center and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Jefferson School Community Partnership LLLP: The limited liability partnership owns the building, which it bought for $100,000 in 2011 to take advantage of tax credits, because the city or nonprofits aren’t eligible for the credits. A $6 million bank loan, a $6 million CEDA loan and $6 million in tax credits made the $18 million renovation possible. Jefferson School Foundation: This nonprofit’s mission was to fundraise to pay off the center’s loans and support the African American Heritage Center. Repeated phone calls to its president, Martin Burks, yielded no response about what the foundation is up to these days. Jefferson School African American Heritage Center: The historical and cultural anchor of the project faced doubts from the beginning about its viability. But now as its own nonprofit and with a board ready to kick off a fundraising campaign, “We have every intention of being in the Jefferson School,” says director Andrea Douglas.

Activities for Feb. 16 through Feb. 22 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 15, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College hosts a free screening of the movie “Arrival” from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. 501 College Drive. (434) 961-5376.

Art events (week of 02.16.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 15, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College Gallery: “Inner Outlook,” works by Aaron Eichorst, on display in the North Gallery, and “Idle Worship,” works by Ailey Greig, and “Life size: New Paintings of the Herd,” works by Nancy Bass, in the South Gallery, on display through March 29. (434) 977-3900.

Employers Invited to Recruit at PVCC’s 33rd Annual Job Fair Posted: Feb 15, 2017 12:12 PM EST Release from Piedmont Virginia Community College: (Charlottesville, Va.) - There is still time for local employers to participate in Piedmont Virginia Community College’s 33rd Annual Job Fair scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on PVCC’s Main Campus in Charlottesville. Participating employers can recruit for full-time, part-time, temporary and internship positions. The fair is open to PVCC students, alumni, and community members free of charge. The registration fee for employers is $190 and $115 for nonprofit organizations. Registration ends Monday, March 13. The registration fee includes one six-foot table and two chairs; a listing on the PVCC Career Services’ Web page, event posters and employer profile booklet; free Wi-Fi and breakfast and lunch for two company representatives. Corporate and media sponsorship options are also available. To register for PVCC’s 33rd Annual Job Fair, log on to www.pvcc.edu/jobfair or contact André Luck, career services manager, at 434.961.5231 or [email protected].

PVCC seeks employers for March 22 job fair The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 15, 2017 The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 22 on PVCC’s main campus off Route 20, just south of Charlottesville. Participating employers can recruit for full-time, part-time, temporary and internship positions. The free fair is open to PVCC students, alumni and community members. The registration fee for employers is $190 and $115 for nonprofit organizations. Registration ends March 13. The registration fee includes one 6-foot-long table and two chairs, a listing on the PVCC Career Services’ webpage, event posters and employer profile booklet, free Wi-Fi and breakfast and lunch for two company representatives. Corporate and media sponsorship options are also available. To register, visit pvcc.edu/jobfair or contact André Luck, career services manager, at (434) 961-5231 or [email protected]. Send news tips to [email protected], call (434) 978-7264, tweet us @DailyProgress or send us a Facebook message here.

In and Around Greene Feb. 18 A Buddhist study and meditation group is forming in Greene, led by Tenzin Thosam. The group meets on the first and third Saturday of the month for talk, discussion and meditation. The next meeting is on Saturday, Feb.18, at the Greene County Library, 222 Main St., Stanardsville. The program is free and open to the public. Tenzin was born and raised in Tibet, was a Buddhist monk for many years, became an American citizen and is currently a librarian in the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library. He also teaches a course on world religion as an adjunct professor at Piedmont Virginia Community College. He has been a speaker in Greene County several times.

Best Bets for Friday, Feb. 17 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 16, 2017 » Free Movie Friday screening of “Arrival”: 7:30 p.m., Main Stage Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5362, free. The previously scheduled screening of “Hidden Figures” has been rescheduled for March 17.

Opinion/Letter: Trees a welcome addition Letter to the Editor Feb 17, 2017 If naysayers like the author of The Daily Progress’ Feb. 13 letter to the editor (“Spending on roadside trees may not be wise”) dominated our land, we’d have gardens of gravel to enjoy for our landscape. I live near the Route 20 tree planting, and everyone I know is thrilled to see the spread of young trees leading us to Monticello and Piedmont Virginia Community College. These are plants paid for by grants, planted by hardworking volunteers, watered by Monticello staff. They are hardy native plants that should survive a bit of briny snow. We will one day enjoy shade trees that grow large and don’t need mowing underneath. Robin Hanes, Charlottesville

Best Bets for Saturday, Feb. 18 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb. 17, 2017 » The Core Ensemble: “Ain’t I a Woman,” 7:30 p.m., Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5376, $15, $12 seniors and students.

Classes for Feb. 18 through Feb. 24 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb. 17, 2017 » Family Space Exploration Event, sponsored by the Piedmont Virginia Community College Student Launch Team, which is participating in NASA’s Student Launch program, provides opportunities in model rocket building and launches, rocket motor and recovery system demonstrations, flash freezing with liquid nitrogen, robotics demonstrations, thermal camera demonstrations and more from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. 501 College Drive. (434) 961-6574.

» Piedmont Virginia Community College accepts registration for the KidsCollege Summer STEM and Arts Academies, which will be June 12 through Aug. 11 at the Main Campus in Charlottesville. Details are available pvcc.edu/kidscollege. (434) 961-5354.

» Piedmont Virginia Community College continues its Eat and Meet Career Information Series with a discussion on careers in the arts and humanities from noon to 12:45 p.m. Wednesday. 501 College Drive. (434) 961-5231.

» Piedmont Virginia Community College holds a Getting Started information session for prospective students, including information on degree and certificate programs, placement tests, student services and other resources from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Crozet Library. pvcc.edu/outreach. (4340 961-5275.

Albemarle proposes $397.4 million budget for fiscal year 2018 Feb. 17, 2017 Higher than expected tax revenues have led the interim county executive to propose a $397.4 million budget for fiscal year 2018. “This budget is balanced with no proposed increases in any tax rates for the upcoming year,” said Doug Walker. “It meets all the county’s obligations and mandates including our support for the school division.” The budget is built off of a two-year fiscal plan approved by supervisors in December. “That really lays the groundwork for what the Board will now see in the recommended budget,” Walker said. “That two-year plan also assumed no increase in the real estate tax rate or other tax rates.” Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the recommended budget Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. The first work session on the budget will be held on Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. in Room 241 of the Albemarle County office building on McIntire Road. "When we start on the work sessions next week, we will [discuss] revenue and expenditures," said Lori Allshouse, the director of the county's office of management and budget. Virginia law requires localities to advertise the tax rate required to allow the county to adopt a budget with the same expenditures as the year before. That amount for this year is $0.809 cents per $100 of assessed value according to Allshouse. Walker said property assessments were higher than expected. “We were anticipating a 1.8 percent increase in assessed value and with the reassessment we are experiencing a 2.9 percent increase,” Walker said. “That has real dollars attached to it that we can talk about.” The proposed budget is 5.8 percent higher than the current year based on a total revenue increase of $21.9 million. Walker’s proposed budget includes $17.4 million in increased expenditures. These include $31,380 to implement the Board of Supervisor’s strategic plan initiatives, $43,060 to implement the Rio Road small-area plan and $200,000 to modernize the county’s zoning ordinance. “That is a significant strategic focus on facilitating desired development within our development area,” Walker said. “Part of what the community development department and county attorney’s office is hoping to accomplish [in the zoning ordinance] is to improve the readability and usability and improve the ease with which those who want to do business in the county.” The current fiscal year contained $1.4 million in funds for neighborhood improvements, and the proposed budget adds an additional $200,000 to support those projects. The economic development fund will received an additional $550,000 to match state grant opportunities and allow other opportunities to be pursued. The capital improvement program includes $2 million towards construction costs for the Senior Center’s proposed new facility at Belvedere. Piedmont Virginia Community College would receive $420,000 toward site work for a new building to support workforce training. “It restores some funding to the capital improvement program that was diverted to serve operating costs two years ago,” Walker said. The Region 10 Women’s Treatment Center would receive $75,000. The Jefferson Madison Regional Library would receive $61,534 to add five more operating hours at the Northside Library. A new “diversity/inclusion generalist” would be hired in the human resources department at a cost of $75,061. “The purpose is to recruit and retain a workforce that is more reflective of the demographic of our community,” Walker said. “We have a particular interest for our public safety agencies.” A new fleet management system would be created for the entire fire-rescue department. A two percent salary increase for general government employees will cost $958,281. The school board budget also includes that same increase. “We use what we call commonality so that we are positioning our support for our employees in a common way,” Walker said. The budget contains $551,000 to address salary compression, a phenomenon in which new employee salaries match or exceed those of veteran employees. Walker said compression particularly affects police officers and makes it difficult to hire experienced people. A plan to address compression was recommended for funding in the current year’s budget, but supervisors opted not to proceed. The county will also contribute an additional $350,181 to help cover the cost of health insurance for employees. The Acquisition of Conservation Easements program will receive $250,000 in the next budget. An additional $1.5 million will go to match the Virginia Department of Transportation’s revenue-sharing program. Several non-profits that had applied for funding through the Agency Budget Review Team did not receive funding in the recommended budget. Unfunded requests include $10,000 for the Community Investment Collaborative, $58,000 for the Bridge Ministry, $15,000 for the Light House Studio, $13,727 for the Music Resource Studio, $5,000 for the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and $4,100 for WNRN. A $50,000 request from the Paramount Theater was reduced to $2,500 and a $10,000 request from the Virginia Discovery Museum was whittled down to $2,500.

Albemarle supervisors get first look at new recommended budget Feb. 17, 2017 ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- On Friday, Albemarle County's interim county executive, Doug Walker, presented the recommended budget plan for fiscal year 2018. According to Walker, the plan focuses on priorities first mapped out in a two-year fiscal plan adopted in December. The proposed budget continues to emphasize economic development and investments into projects such as small area planning at Rio Road and Route 29, the new Belvedere Senior Center, and a new facility at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Walker said revenues were higher than expected due to a better-performing local economy. "Frankly, there's no single bigger beneficiary of that change than our support for K-12 education," he said. "So the local school system, by formula, is benefiting significantly from an increased transfer of money from us." A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held on Feb. 21. The board is expected to adopt a final budget on April 18.

Best Bets for Sunday, Feb. 19 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb. 18, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College Music Faculty Recital: 3 p.m., Main Stage Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building, (434) 961-5376, free.

Religious diversity topic of PVCC event The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 20, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College will host a community discussion on “tolerance, coexistence and religious diversity” on Saturday, according to a news release from the college. Emre Celik, president of the Rumi Forum for Interfaith Dialogue and Intercultural Understanding, is one of the scheduled speakers at the event, which will be hosted by the college’s Student Government Association. Other speakers include the Rev. Marion Kanour, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Nelson County; Colum Leckey, a professor of history at PVCC; and Liana Kowalzik, a local “pagan and naturalist,” according to the release. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Main Stage Theatre of the V. Earl Dickinson Building on PVCC’s main campus in Albemarle County. Anyone seeking more information can contact the SGA by calling (434) 961-5359 or sending an email to [email protected].

Announcements for Feb. 22 through Feb. 28 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 21, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College seeks employers to participate in the Job Fair, which will be on March 22. Details are available at pvcc.edu/jobfair. (434) 961-5231. » Piedmont Virginia Community College continues its Eat and Meet Career Information Series with a discussion on careers in the arts and humanities from noon to 12:45 p.m. Wednesday. 501 College Drive. (434) 961-5231. » Piedmont Virginia Community College holds a Getting Started information session for prospective students, including information on degree and certificate programs, placement tests, student services and other resources, from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at Crozet Library. pvcc.edu/outreach. (434) 961-5275.

Brighter budget outlook in the county Feb. 21, 2017 When Interim County Executive Doug Walker presented Albemarle County’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 to the Board of Supervisors last week, unlike last year, it did not include a bump in the 83.9 cents per $100 real estate tax rate. Revenues are projected to increase $21,866,508, or 5.8 percent, thanks primarily to higher real estate values and soaring property assessments. The current adopted budget’s real estate tax increase added $7.8 million to the pot. And for the first time in half a dozen years, Albemarle’s revenue sharing payment to the city will go up—an $88,401 increase for a total of $15.9 million. The combined operating expenditures from the budget’s three major funds (General Fund, School Budget and Capital Budget) are the first significant spending boost the county has seen in awhile, increasing $17.4 million, or 5.4 percent from fiscal year 2017. Some of those expenditures include:  $958,281 for a 2 percent raise for county employees  $75,000 for the hiring of a “diversity/inclusion generalist” in the human resources department  $2 million for building the Belvedere Senior Center  $61,534 for five extra hours of operation at the Northside Library each week  $150,000 expansion to the Innovation Fund  $95,671 for a comprehensive digital records management system Here’s a closer look at how the three major funds break down for fiscal year 2018. General Fund Up by 6.5 percent, or $16.8 million over 2017 The majority of county revenue is part of the general fund, where dollars are received and allocated to support all county operations including schools, government and the capital program. Property tax revenues expected to increase by $12.2 million, or 7.3 percent Sales, food and beverage taxes expected to increase $2.1 million, or 4 percent State revenues expected to increase by $0.6 million, or 2.8 percent Federal revenues expected to increase by $0.6 million, or 11.2 percent

School Budget Up by 6.1 percent, or $7.1 million County schools receive money from the school budget, along with $2 million from the general fund as part of the county’s Central Services Cost Allocation Plan. The School Board’s requested budget is $181.1 million, with a $530,811 gap in funding for fiscal year 2018 The school division’s debt service includes $3 million in expenses not supported by last year’s budget

Capital Budget Up $2.1 million, or 9.4 percent The Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2018-2022 invests in new projects and maintains existing infrastructure. The recommended budget for the five-year CIP is $177.4 million. Some projects include: Contributions to the Belvedere Senior Center and Piedmont Virginia Community College Transportation revenue sharing program School security improvements Woodbrook Elementary School addition and modernization construction project Court addition and renovation project

Art events (week of 02.23.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Feb 22, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College Gallery: “Inner Outlook,” works by Aaron Eichorst, on display in the North Gallery, and “Idle Worship,” works by Ailey Greig, and “Life size: New Paintings of the Herd,” works by Nancy Bass, in the South Gallery through March 29. (434) 977-3900.

In and Around Greene Feb. 22, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College will host “Getting Started” information sessions in March for prospective students. Information sessions are presented by PVCC Outreach Manager Denise McClanahan and will introduce PVCC’s degree and certificate programs, as well as provide information about placement tests, student services and other resources to help students get started at PVCC. The sessions are free and are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Greene County March 23, 6 to 7 p.m. PVCC Eugene Giuseppe Center, 222 Main Street, Suite 201, Stanardsville

Activities for Feb. 23 through March 1 The Daily Progress staff reports Feb. 22, 2017 Piedont Virginia Community College Student Government Association holds a community discussion about tolerance, coexistence and religious diversity from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the V. Earl Dickinson Building at 501 College Drive. pvcc.edu. (434) 961-5359.

Charlottesville Police Department Donates Cars to PVCC Posted: Feb 22, 2017 ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Some students at Piedmont Virginia Community College will now have a car to get to work. The Charlottesville Police Department donated four police cars to the college. PVCC created the Community Self Sufficiency Program last March. It was designed to give students the tools they need to get employed. Charlottesville police agreed to donate these cars Tuesday. PVCC will loan the cars out temporarily. “The community college recognized that training is important, but we also want to provide people with the supports they need in order to take advantage of that training and the jobs that we have, so we expect to be in this for the long haul because it is what our community needs and we are happy to fill that need,” said Ridge Schuyler, PVCC dean. Schuyler says they hope to have a dozen of these cars available in the future. PVCC will receive the first four within the next few weeks.

Best Bets for Friday, Feb. 24 » Fourth Fridays Improv with PVCC Drama Club: 6-8 p.m., Maxwell Theatre in V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, (434) 961-5376, free.

Albemarle Co. High School Student Running for School Board Seat Posted: Feb 23, 2017 ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - A high school student from Albemarle County says he feels the Albemarle County School Board doesn't reflect what students and teachers are actually experiencing in the classroom, so he's decided to do something about it. Seventeen-year-old Julian Waters is running for a seat on the school board. Although he’s young and inexperienced, he says that helps him relate to the students for whom he would be making policy. He advocates a relatively hands-off approach from the school board, allowing students and teachers to make more of their own decisions. “I would advocate for a system where we have the ultimate goal. The ultimate vision of students need to be able to do this. This, and this but we don't set the standards for exactly how that happens,” Waters said. Waters is running on a platform of increased flexibility for students and teachers that comes from his own experience when his Western Albemarle High School principal allowed him to start a model aviation club. “That kind of open mindset totally transformed my high school experience,” Waters said. He has done his homework on the district he's running to represent and against incumbent Graham Paige. “The Meriweather area, the Holcomb area, down to Esmont, that sort of lower triangle of the county, that's all the Samuel Miller District,” Waters explained. “I think that we both have good, that we both have a fairly positive vision for the district. We both just… we have different directions we're coming from.” Waters will turn 18 on September 4, so he will be eligible for the position before Election Day. He plans on taking a gap year after graduation and then he will apply to the University of Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community College so that he can remain on the board for the full four year term.

Subject: Governor McAuliffe Welcomes National Unmanned Aircraft Systems Public Safety Conference Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: February 27, 2017

Governor McAuliffe Welcomes National Unmanned Aircraft Systems Public Safety Conference ~ Conference attendees will share best practices for using drones to protect public safety ~ RICHMOND – Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) will host the 2017 National Public Safety UAS Conference at Roseland Farms in Crozet from February 27th through March 1st, 2017. The conference will bring together professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief to share best practices and discuss legal and operational challenges associated with using the small aircraft in emergency preparedness and response operations. “Virginia is proud to host this important event to enhance public safety efforts through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems or drones,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Commonwealth’s public safety agencies continue to use the latest technology to enhance their efforts to keep our citizens safe. This conference will allow them to share the best practices around this emerging technology.” “This symposium is the first of its kind in Virginia to speak directly to emergency service and public safety professionals,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. “It will provide a unique opportunity for public safety professionals to discuss ways drones can be a vital operational tool during emergency response and recovery efforts.” “Virginia is committed to coordinating its response across all public safety agencies statewide and working together to deploy state-of-the-art tools to enhance our Commonwealth’s resiliency,” said State Coordinator of Emergency Management Dr. Jeff Stern. “VDEM is proud to co-host this symposium to help participants understand how drones can be used to enhance situational awareness and coordinate activities among all agencies responding to a particular event.” The three-day summit will include a series of workshops, breakout sessions, networking events, and a full day dedicated to scenario demonstrations and trainings. Presenters will include representatives from the National Association for Search and Rescue, the Center for Robotic-Assisted Search and Rescue, the National Weather Service, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Florida State University’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, along with several UAS technology companies. To learn more, visit www.pvcc.edu/uassummit http://www.pvcc.edu/uassummit

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- A conference on unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, public safety has brought together officials in law enforcement, search and rescue, public safety, and disaster relief. They are attending the 2017 National Public Safety UAS Conference at Roseland Farms in Crozet, hosted by Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. They will be sharing best practices and talk about legal and operational challenges associated with using UAS in emergency preparedness and response operations. "Virginia is proud to host this important event to enhance public safety efforts through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems or drones," said Governor Terry McAuliffe. "The Commonwealth's public safety agencies continue to use the latest technology to enhance their efforts to keep our citizens safe." The conference began on Monday and will run through Wednesday, with workshops, breakout session, networking events, and a day dedicated to scenario demonstrations and training. "This symposium is the first of its kind in Virginia to speak directly to emergency service and public safety professionals," said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. "It will provide a unique opportunity for public safety professional to discuss ways drones can be a vital operational tool during emergency response and recovery efforts." The conference includes presentations from the National Association for Search and Rescue, the Center for Robotic- Assisted Search and Rescue, the national Weather Service, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Florida State University's Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, and several technology companies.

CROZET, Va. (WVIR) - Drone companies met in Crozet Monday to discover ways they can assist Virginia law enforcement and emergency services with their technology. The Piedmont Virginia Community College and Virginia Department of Emergency Management teamed up to host a national Aerial Drones Summit. Organizers say the conference at King Family Vineyards is the first of its kind and marks a big step in keeping people in the commonwealth safe. Charles Werner" "I believe we're going to see UAS in possession of 90 percent of public safety organizations in the next three years," Charles Warner of Virginia Emergency Management said. Representatives for police departments, emergency services and disaster relief groups from across Virginia will be attending over the next three days. Officials will look at the different drone types and see what may fit into their programs. Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe Press Release: Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) will host the 2017 National Public Safety UAS Conference at Roseland Farms in Crozet from February 27th through March 1st, 2017.

The conference will bring together professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief to share best practices and discuss legal and operational challenges associated with using the small aircraft in emergency preparedness and response operations. “Virginia is proud to host this important event to enhance public safety efforts through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems or drones,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Commonwealth’s public safety agencies continue to use the latest technology to enhance their efforts to keep our citizens safe. This conference will allow them to share the best practices around this emerging technology.” “This symposium is the first of its kind in Virginia to speak directly to emergency service and public safety professionals,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. “It will provide a unique opportunity for public safety professionals to discuss ways drones can be a vital operational tool during emergency response and recovery efforts.” “Virginia is committed to coordinating its response across all public safety agencies statewide and working together to deploy state-of-the-art tools to enhance our Commonwealth’s resiliency,” said State Coordinator of Emergency Management Dr. Jeff Stern. “VDEM is proud to co-host this symposium to help participants understand how drones can be used to enhance situational awareness and coordinate activities among all agencies responding to a particular event.” The three-day summit will include a series of workshops, breakout sessions, networking events, and a full day dedicated to scenario demonstrations and trainings. Presenters will include representatives from the National Association for Search and Rescue, the Center for Robotic- Assisted Search and Rescue, the National Weather Service, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Florida State University’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, along with several UAS technology companies. To learn more, visit www.pvcc.edu/uassummit

Ruth Saunders named Grower of the Year by the Virginia Vineyards Association Published Monday, Feb. 27, 2017 The Virginia Vineyards Association has named Ruth Saunders of Silver Creek Orchards in Nelson County as the organization’s 2017 Grower of the Year. The award was presented to Saunders by Megan Seibel, Assistant Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, at the VVA’s annual winter technical meeting Feb 24. During the meeting, Nate Walsh of Walsh Family Wine assumed office as the new president of the Virginia Vineyards Association. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who led the VVA for the past four years. Saunders and her husband, John have deep roots in Virginia’s agriculture industry. Their families have operated several hundred acres of farmland in Nelson County for generations. They raise cattle and are involved in the growing of apples and a variety of other crops, including wine grapes. Having planted their first grapes in 1999, the Saunders are among the largest independent growers in Virginia with more than 75 acres of grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc, Traminette, and Chambourcin. Their grapes produce award-winning wines for many wineries throughout the state. Saunders has been involved with the VVA since she became a part of the industry. She served on the original Research and Education Committee, reviewing research grant proposals prior to their submission to the Virginia Wine Board for funding. She was also the VVA grower representative on the Wine Board for eight years and served as Director of the Virginia State Horticulture Society. Since 2005, the Virginia Vineyards Association has honored one of its members annually with the Grower of the Year Award. The criteria are: the nominee must be an active member of the VVA with at least seven years of experience managing or operating a commercial vineyard of at least five acres; the nominee must be an active participant in the Virginia viticulture community with a track record of service to our industry; and the nominee must have the respect of his or her peers. Walsh was one of five new board members elected by the VVA membership this winter: Ben Margulies is now association Secretary, Jessi Gatewood is serving as Treasurer and Carrington King and Skip Causey are serving as at-large board members. Walsh has worked for wineries and vineyards in Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley since 2004. Currently, he is the winegrower for Walsh Family Wine in Waterford and W2 Winegrowing. He has served as a board member of the Virginia Wineries Association and the Loudoun Wineries Association. Margulies, cellar master at Horton Vineyards in Gordonsville, studied enology at the University of California, Davis, and has worked at several vineyards in Virginia since 2009. He previously served as chair of the VVA’s Education Committee. He succeeds Aimee Henkle of The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek. Gatewood, of Charlottesville, began her vineyard training under Gabriele Rausse, a pioneer of the Virginia wine industry. After working as winemaker for Barren Ridge Vineyards, she now works in the industry as a consultant. She succeeds Kay Thompson of Amherst Vineyards. King graduated from the University of Maryland in 2002 with a degree in Horticulture Production. While there, he worked with Dr. Joseph Fiola in the Hagerstown Research Vineyard. He manages all aspects of vineyard management and installation at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, and has grown the operation from eight acres to just under 50 acres of grapes. Causey was among the first graduates of the vineyard and enology program at Piedmont Virginia Community College more than 10 years ago. He bought his first property in 2005, began planting the following year, and opened Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery for business in Stafford in 2007. With the seating of the VVA’s new board members, Kelly, owner of Kelly Vineyard Services based in Front Royal, will continue to support the board as immediate past president, and Jim Benefiel, of Leesburg, owner of Benevino Vineyards, will continue as vice president. The Virginia Vineyards Association originated in 1979 as a joint effort for information exchange and cooperation among viticulturists, wineries and Virginia Tech. For more information, go to www.virginiavineyardsassociation.com.

McAuliffe welcomes unmanned aircraft systems public safety conference Published Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management is hosting the 2017 National Public Safety UAS Conference at Roseland Farms in Crozet. The conference will bring together professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief to share best practices and discuss legal and operational challenges associated with using the small aircraft in emergency preparedness and response operations. “Virginia is proud to host this important event to enhance public safety efforts through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems or drones,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Commonwealth’s public safety agencies continue to use the latest technology to enhance their efforts to keep our citizens safe. This conference will allow them to share the best practices around this emerging technology.” “This symposium is the first of its kind in Virginia to speak directly to emergency service and public safety professionals,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. “It will provide a unique opportunity for public safety professionals to discuss ways drones can be a vital operational tool during emergency response and recovery efforts.” “Virginia is committed to coordinating its response across all public safety agencies statewide and working together to deploy state-of-the-art tools to enhance our Commonwealth’s resiliency,” said State Coordinator of Emergency Management Dr. Jeff Stern. “VDEM is proud to co-host this symposium to help participants understand how drones can be used to enhance situational awareness and coordinate activities among all agencies responding to a particular event.” The three-day summit will include a series of workshops, breakout sessions, networking events, and a full day dedicated to scenario demonstrations and trainings. Presenters will include representatives from the National Association for Search and Rescue, the Center for Robotic-Assisted Search and Rescue, the National Weather Service, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Florida State University’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, along with several UAS technology companies. To learn more, visit pvcc.edu/uassummit.

Search for Germanna president narrows to three candidates Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 By STAFF REPORTS The State Board for Community Colleges has certified three finalists for the position of president at Germanna Community College. The finalists were among more than 100 applicants from across the nation. The three candidates are John R. Donnelly of Charlottesville, Janet Gullickson of Spokane, Wash., and Linda Thomas–Glover of Onley. “This opportunity at Germanna is attracting an impressive breadth and depth of talent,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “We take that as a vote of confidence in the college, as well as the entire Virginia Community College System. Our focus on student success, our innovative approaches to providing short-term workforce training and our stability make us attractive to community college leaders who yearn to make a difference.” Donnelly is vice president for instruction and student services at Piedmont Virginia Community College, a position he has held since 2010. He served for two years as vice president of academic and student affairs/provost for Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills, Mass. Donnelly began his community college career as an adjunct instructor of history at Germanna Community College in 1999 and rose through the ranks, serving as a full-time faculty member and eventually an assistant dean and dean at the college. He holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Virginia, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University. Gullickson has presided over two community colleges, including her current position as president of Spokane Falls Community College, a position she has held since 2012. She served two years as chief academic officer for the second largest district of the Community Colleges of Spokane. Gullickson served as president of Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colo., between 2004 and 2005. She was also interim president and provost of what is now known as Minnesota’s Northeast Higher Education District. Gullickson holds a doctorate in education from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree from South Dakota State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota. Thomas–Glover is the president of Eastern Shore Community College, a position she has held since 2009. She also served as provost/chief academic officer of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Kentucky beginning in 2004. Thomas–Glover also worked for more than a decade at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C., rising through several positions, ultimately serving a nine-month term as the college’s interim vice president of instruction. She holds a doctorate in chemistry from Temple University, a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State College. The three finalists are vying to succeed David Sam, who has served as Germanna’s president for nearly a decade. Sam announced last summer that he would retire at the end of the current academic year. The finalists will each spend a day or more on the campuses of Germanna between March 20 and 30, to meet with faculty, staff, students and community members.

Announcements for March 1 through March 7 The Daily Progress staff reports Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 » Piedmont Virginia Community College seeks employers to participate in the Job Fair, which will be March 22. Details are available at pvcc.edu/jobfair. (434) 961-5231.

Laufer launches campaign for Charlottesville City Council Sean Tubbs | Tuesday, February 28, 2017

A member of the Charlottesville School Board who is currently in her second term has announced she will seek the Democratic nomination for one of two seats on the Charlottesville City Council. “Let’s continue to move Charlottesville forward in these uncertain times,” said Amy Laufer at a campaign announcement Tuesday. “I want us truly to focus on the needs of all of the community.” Laufer, 44, was first elected to the school board in 2011 when she received the most votes of the seven candidates who ran that year according to the Virginia State Board of Elections. School board elections are non-partisan and the top four candidates were elected. Laufer was re-elected in an uncontested race in 2015. The Council seats held by incumbents Bob Fenwick and Kristin Szakos are up for election in the Nov. 7 general election. Szakos has said she will not seek a third term, but Fenwick has yet to indicate his plans. Laufer is the second Democrat to officially declare a candidacy for the party’s nomination. Heather Hill announced her campaign on Feb. 21. Democrats will face off in a primary on June 13. So far, no Republican candidates have emerged, according to Barbara Null of the Charlottesville Republican Committee. One independent candidate, Stanford Dale Woodson, has filed paperwork to run for Council. Another independent, Kenneth Wayne Jackson, has indicated interest in second run on Facebook but has yet to file with the registrar. Jackson placed fifth in the 2004 general election when he ran on the Republican ticket. The group Equity and Progress in Charlottesville held a forum on Monday for potential candidates and campaign volunteers. “There was lots of good energy in the room and I anticipate a few of the participants will be announcing in the near future,” said Dave Norris, a former Charlottesville mayor and member of EPiC’s steering committee. Norris said EPiC will make its endorsements after an April city council forum. A date for that event has not been determined. Laufer was introduced by one of her fellow school board members at her campaign announcement. “In these six years Amy has cemented my support and love for her,” said Juandiego Wade, who was elected to the board in 2006, 2009 and 2013. “She cherishes everything that the city of Charlottesville stands for. She is never short of an idea or an initiative to support the city of Charlottesville’s students.” Laufer said she moved to Charlottesville after meeting the man who would become her husband while serving in the Peace Corps. Aaron Laufer is the owner of Laufer Companies, a commercial real estate company. The couple has three children in city schools. Laufer has served two years as chairwoman of the school board and another two as its vice chairwoman. “We’ve done so many amazing things,” Laufer said. “We’ve increased enrollment in our preschool programs, in our afterschool programs and our summer school program.” Laufer said another accomplishment during her tenure has been the renovation of the science labs at Buford Middle School and Charlottesville High School. “But the most important thing we’ve done is raised graduation rates to almost 90 percent.” Laufer said. “That was a lot of effort and not just by the school board but by school administrators, teachers and the students themselves.” In 2015, Laufer co-founded a political action committee called Women Leaders in Virginia that supports female Democratic candidates in the state. Laufer has contributed $4,702 to the group according to the Virginia Public Access Project. According to VPAP records, the only contribution Laufer has made to a City Council race is $150 for Melvin Grady’s campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2013. Laufer said she would support programs to grow the city’s workforce. “I’m proposing something I’m calling the Piedmont Promise,” Laufer said. “If you’re a student that graduates from Charlottesville High School with a grade point average of 2.5 or above, and [your family] resides in the city and earns the lower median income or less, the city will pay the graduating students tuition to attend a certification program or an associate’s degree program at Piedmont Virginia Community College.” Laufer said in an interview after the announcement that this would cost $800,000 a year. The candidate also said she would draw attention to the city’s affordable housing problem. “This is something we’ve talked about years,” Laufer said. “We continue to attract new people to our community… we’re growing… but it’s putting a squeeze on many of our neighbors.” Laufer supported a decision for the City Council to increase money placed into the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund. City Manager Maurice Jones’ proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an $800,000 increase to $2.5 million for FY2018 and a total contribution of $3.4 million in FY2019. “I commend the current City Council for doubling the current affordable housing fund but I just don’t think it’s going to be enough,” Laufer said before calling for a “real dialogue with all the stakeholders.” Laufer also called on Charlottesville to ban or reduce the use of plastic shopping bags. “Let’s be the leader on this for the east coast,” Laufer said. A bill to allow Virginia localities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to impose a five-cent tax on paper bags failed to make it out of a General Assembly committee this year. There are also three seats on the school board up for election, including Wade’s. He has not yet announced whether he will seek a fourth term. Neither Leah Puryear nor Jennifer McKeever have said whether they will run for re-election.

Safety personnel converge on Crozet for drone summit BY LAUREN BERG Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 Law enforcement and rescue personnel from all over the country are gathering in Crozet this week to pool their resources and learn more about unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones. Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management partnered to hold the 2017 National Unmanned Aerial Systems Drone Summit at King Family Vineyards in Crozet. The three- day conference was set up for professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief who use or want to use drones as part of their operations. “PVCC and VDEM decided to get together and figure out a way to bring experts locally, so that we could have responders from Virginia be able to benefit from the people who have expertise in this area,” said Charles Werner, senior adviser to VDEM and the former Charlottesville fire chief. “So, we can advance the use of unmanned aircraft systems in the commonwealth of Virginia for public safety.” King Family Vineyards — founded by David King, an auxiliary deputy for the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office — offered up its tasting room for the conference. King donated a drone to the sheriff’s office this past summer to assist with search and rescue efforts. Law enforcement, rescue and fire personnel came from as far as Delaware, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, Werner said. The York County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department is one of the leading teams in Virginia and have some of the most sophisticated technology in the commonwealth. Drones give police and rescue personnel the ability to go where people can’t, Werner said. “This technology is a game-changer for public safety because, as an incident commander, the most important thing is to understand the incident and the magnitude,” said Werner. “With this, I’m able to see things from a 3-D perspective. So, if you have a train derailment that’s out in the middle of nowhere, I can actually take the drone in areas that I couldn’t access. “We’re able to see a lot more and understand the environments we’re in with nobody being in harm’s way.” As the price tag continues to drop for this type of technology, Werner said it would eventually be easier for more public safety agencies to invest in drones. Some of the unmanned aircrafts are available for about $400 at commercial stores, and the technology is often advanced enough for search and rescue efforts. On Tuesday, one of the classes focused specifically on the value of using drones for search and rescue work. Stressing the importance of choosing the right equipment for the right jobs and pointing out the advancements in video and photo technology, many of the participants walked away with a better understanding of how to use drones at their own agencies. Eric Hamm, with the Delaware State Police, said officers and those with the Delaware Department of Transportation both currently use drones for various efforts, including search and rescue and road surveying. “We both came to this just to gain experience and see what other people are doing in the industry to see if we can improve our operations,” Hamm said. “We work as a combined unit in Delaware so that we can draw resources from each other; we all operate from the same platform and aircraft. And we train together so that if somebody has to come and assist us, we all know what they’re going to be doing.” “The search and rescue is very interesting to us because we have quite a bit of waterways,” he added. “We’re constantly being called to the river and the beaches to go search for people who are out in a distressed boat or swimmers.” Closer to home, Kevin Wilkes, fire chief for the Swoope Volunteer Fire Company in Augusta County, said his agency does not yet use drone technology, but he was eager to learn more. Noticing that the summit’s presenters were experts from all over the country, Wilkes said he used it as an opportunity to network and learn from the best. “I was here, really, because this is still new to us,” Wilkes said. “We don’t really have any unmanned aero surveillance or assistance around us, and we have a very large county — the second largest county in Virginia, nearly 1,000 square miles — so it would be extremely beneficial to us. “But we want to make sure that, with all the rules and regulations, we educate ourselves before we get into it.” With the equipment and technology advancing at such a fast pace, Wilkes said he wants to learn as much as possible before making any decisions. With such a large county, full of both agricultural and mountainous terrain, he said there are a lot of potential benefits to having a drone. To show off some of the equipment available, York County brought their command center van, as well as some of their more eye-catching drones. One of those unmanned systems — with a price tag of about $30,000 — is able to carry two different types of cameras, as well as a payload dropping system, according to Chris Sadler, assistant chief for the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety. “The platform has multiple things that can go on it. The camera on the far left is a FLIR — forward-looking infrared camera — so that sees heat signatures …” Sadler said. “It can see through clouds and smoke; it’s not looking at video, it’s looking at different temperatures.” “We can take it out over a river, or if someone fell out of a boat, and drop a flotation device to help them until a boat can get to them,” he said. “We can drop medicine in a remote area that we can’t get to. If someone needs insulin right now, we can fly out there and drop it to them.” The drone also is capable of wirelessly transmitting video footage via a secure website, Sadler said, which comes in handy during dangerous operations or tricky search and rescue missions. “If we’re doing a SWAT operation or even a fire or HAZMAT incident, we can be videoing everything going on and send it back to our command center, so they can make better decisions and better deployment of people and equipment and tactics,” Sadler said. “You’re looking at about $30,000 right there, but what that can do is, in a lot of instances, we can send that into an area we can’t send a person — either because we don’t want to get shot or because it’s a hazardous situation. “We can get quicker and more valuable information.” The summit will continue Wednesday with an all-day demonstration of various drones and the capabilities they possess for different public safety efforts.

Art events (week of 03.02.17) The Daily Progress staff reports Mar 1, 2017 Piedmont Virginia Community College Gallery: “Inner Outlook,” works by Aaron Eichorst, on display in the North Gallery, and “Idle Worship,” works by Ailey Greig, and “Life size: New Paintings of the Herd,” works by Nancy Bass, in the South Gallery through March 29. (434) 977-3900.

PVCC Students advocate for educational issues Mar 1, 2017 Two student groups at Piedmont Virginia Community College recently visited the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond to learn more about the state legislature and to gain political experience through the advocacy process. The first delegation of students visited the state capitol on Jan. 25, and while in Richmond, had the opportunity to meet with Virginia Community College System Chancellor Glenn DuBois, senators Creigh Deeds (D); Emmett Hanger, Jr. (R); Mark Peake (R); and Bryce Reeves (R), and delegates Dickie Bell (R); Robert Bell (R); Matt Fariss (R); Peter Farrell (R); R. Steven Landes (R); David Toscano (D); and R. Lee Ware, Jr. (R). The PVCC student group was comprised of Dalton Dickerson, of Ruckersville; Aaron Rosedale, of Madison; Victoria Garcia, of Orange; Nicole Rodgers, of Amherst; Erin Sonnenburg, of Broad Run; Wadah al Mulhim, Daniel Jackson, and Caleb Martin, all of Charlottesville; Mark Danneman, of Crozet; Sarah Pote, of Dyke; Amy Arrington, of Kents Store; and Justin Wilson, of Stafford. Students were accompanied by PVCC President Frank Friedman; PVCC Assistant Professor of Political Science Connie Jorgensen; and PVCC Assistant to the President and Special Projects Coordinator Pat Buck. PVCC Assistant Professor of Political Science Connie Jorgensen says that the purpose of the visit was not only to expose students to the state legislature, but to dispel some of the negative myths about politicians and to give students the opportunity to advocate for issues that are important to them. “Students need to have experiences like these,” said Jorgensen. “Our students need to know how the system works and that they have a voice. Even if they aren’t able to change a public official’s mind, they know that they have the power to step up and let their voices be heard.” During their visit, students were introduced in the House of Delegates by Delegate Toscano and advocated to minimize budget cuts to PVCC and other colleges in the VCCS, as well as approve salary increases for faculty and staff. According to PVCC President Frank Friedman, state support has dropped from $3,600 to $3,100 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, which costs PVCC approximately $1.5 million per year. In addition, PVCC faculty and staff have had only one salary increase in the last seven years, which impacts the college’s ability to recruit and retain quality personnel. “These issues directly impact our students,” said Friedman. “It’s important that they are not only aware of what’s happening at the state level and how it might affect them, but that they have the opportunity to voice their concerns directly to our legislators.” The second delegation of students to visit the General Assembly were members of PVCC’s Virginia21 Club, the student chapter of a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes advocacy and civic leadership among college students. On Jan. 31, PVCC’s Virginia21 student group joined more than 150 students from schools across the Commonwealth to advocate in support of two student loan protection bills and against a bill that would have eliminated $86 million of in- state financial aid. PVCC student attendees included Ananda de Almeida, Cooper Bowman, Curtis Gill, Nic McCarthy, and Abby Traaseth, all of Charlottesville; Connor Pearson, of Dulles; Dalton Dickerson, of Ruckersville; Justin Wilson, of Stafford; and Grayson Katzenbach, of Waynesboro. According to PVCC Virginia21 Club President Grayson Katzenbach, the experience was a powerful one for the students and has already made an impact. “When state budget cuts are commonplace, it’s important for our delegates to know that we—the students—value higher education and that we need their support,” said Katzenbach. “We advocated and shared our personal stories to demonstrate the necessity of financial aid. The end result was that the two bills we fought for were reported from the Senate, and the bill we fought against was amended to prevent the financial aid cuts. We couldn’t be happier.” To learn more about PVCC’s Virginia21 Chapter and other student activities and clubs, visit www.pvcc.edu/clubs.

Law enforcement, rescue personnel converge on Crozet for drone summit Lauren Berg The Daily Progress Mar 1, 2017

Law enforcement, rescue and fire personnel came from as far as Delaware, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, Werner said. The York County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department is one of the leading teams in Virginia and have some of the most sophisticated technology in the commonwealth. Drones give police and rescue personnel the ability to go where people can’t, Werner said. “This technology is a game-changer for public safety because, as an incident commander, the most important thing is to understand the incident and the magnitude,” said Werner. “With this, I’m able to see things from a 3-D perspective. So, if you have a train derailment that’s out in the middle of nowhere, I can actually take the drone in areas that I couldn’t access. “We’re able to see a lot more and understand the environments we’re in with nobody being in harm’s way.” As the price tag continues to drop for this type of technology, Werner said it would eventually be easier for more public safety agencies to invest in drones. Some of the unmanned aircrafts are available for about $400 at commercial stores, and the technology is often advanced enough for search and rescue efforts. On Tuesday, one of the classes focused specifically on the value of using drones for search and rescue work. Stressing the importance of choosing the right equipment for the right jobs and pointing out the advancements in video and photo technology, many of the participants walked away with a better understanding of how to use drones at their own agencies. Eric Hamm, with the Delaware State Police, said officers and those with the Delaware Department of Transportation both currently use drones for various efforts, including search and rescue and road surveying. “We both came to this just to gain experience and see what other people are doing in the industry to see if we can improve our operations,” Hamm said. “We work as a combined unit in Delaware so that we can draw resources from each other; we all operate from the same platform and aircraft. And we train together so that if somebody has to come and assist us, we all know what they’re going to be doing.” “The search and rescue is very interesting to us because we have quite a bit of waterways,” he added. “We’re constantly being called to the river and the beaches to go search for people who are out in a distressed boat or swimmers.” Closer to home, Kevin Wilkes, fire chief for the Swoope Volunteer Fire Company in Augusta County, said his agency does not yet use drone technology, but he was eager to learn more. Noticing that the summit’s presenters were experts from all over the country, Wilkes said he used it as an opportunity to network and learn from the best. “I was here, really, because this is still new to us,” Wilkes said. “We don’t really have any unmanned aero surveillance or assistance around us, and we have a very large county — the second largest county in Virginia, nearly 1,000 square miles — so it would be extremely beneficial to us. “But we want to make sure that, with all the rules and regulations, we educate ourselves before we get into it.” With the equipment and technology advancing at such a fast pace, Wilkes said he wants to learn as much as possible before making any decisions. With such a large county, full of both agricultural and mountainous terrain, he said there are a lot of potential benefits to having a drone. To show off some of the equipment available, York County brought their command center van, as well as some of their more eye-catching drones. One of those unmanned systems — with a price tag of about $30,000 — is able to carry two different types of cameras, as well as a payload dropping system, according to Chris Sadler, assistant chief for the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety. “The platform has multiple things that can go on it. The camera on the far left is a FLIR — forward-looking infrared camera — so that sees heat signatures …” Sadler said. “It can see through clouds and smoke; it’s not looking at video, it’s looking at different temperatures.” “We can take it out over a river, or if someone fell out of a boat, and drop a flotation device to help them until a boat can get to them,” he said. “We can drop medicine in a remote area that we can’t get to. If someone needs insulin right now, we can fly out there and drop it to them.” The drone also is capable of wirelessly transmitting video footage via a secure website, Sadler said, which comes in handy during dangerous operations or tricky search and rescue missions. “If we’re doing a SWAT operation or even a fire or HAZMAT incident, we can be videoing everything going on and send it back to our command center, so they can make better decisions and better deployment of people and equipment and tactics,” Sadler said. “You’re looking at about $30,000 right there, but what that can do is, in a lot of instances, we can send that into an area we can’t send a person — either because we don’t want to get shot or because it’s a hazardous situation. “We can get quicker and more valuable information.” The summit will continue Wednesday with an all-day demonstration of various drones and the capabilities they possess for different public safety efforts.

Law enforcement, rescue personnel converge on Crozet for drone summit Lauren Berg The Daily Progress Mar 1, 2017

Law enforcement and rescue personnel from all over the country are gathering in Crozet this week to pool their resources and learn more about unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones. Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management partnered to hold the 2017 National Unmanned Aerial Systems Drone Summit at King Family Vineyards in Crozet. The three-day conference was set up for professionals in law enforcement, public safety, search and rescue, emergency services and disaster relief who use or want to use drones as part of their operations. “PVCC and VDEM decided to get together and figure out a way to bring experts locally, so that we could have responders from Virginia be able to benefit from the people who have expertise in this area,” said Charles Werner, senior adviser to VDEM and the former Charlottesville fire chief. “So, we can advance the use of unmanned aircraft systems in the commonwealth of Virginia for public safety.” King Family Vineyards — founded by David King, an auxiliary deputy for the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office — offered up its tasting room for the conference. King donated a drone to the sheriff’s office this past summer to assist with search and rescue efforts. Law enforcement, rescue and fire personnel came from as far as Delaware, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, Werner said. The York County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department is one of the leading teams in Virginia and have some of the most sophisticated technology in the commonwealth. Drones give police and rescue personnel the ability to go where people can’t, Werner said. “This technology is a game-changer for public safety because, as an incident commander, the most important thing is to understand the incident and the magnitude,” said Werner. “With this, I’m able to see things from a 3-D perspective. So, if you have a train derailment that’s out in the middle of nowhere, I can actually take the drone in areas that I couldn’t access. “We’re able to see a lot more and understand the environments we’re in with nobody being in harm’s way.” As the price tag continues to drop for this type of technology, Werner said it would eventually be easier for more public safety agencies to invest in drones. Some of the unmanned aircrafts are available for about $400 at commercial stores, and the technology is often advanced enough for search and rescue efforts. On Tuesday, one of the classes focused specifically on the value of using drones for search and rescue work. Stressing the importance of choosing the right equipment for the right jobs and pointing out the advancements in video and photo technology, many of the participants walked away with a better understanding of how to use drones at their own agencies. Eric Hamm, with the Delaware State Police, said officers and those with the Delaware Department of Transportation both currently use drones for various efforts, including search and rescue and road surveying. “We both came to this just to gain experience and see what other people are doing in the industry to see if we can improve our operations,” Hamm said. “We work as a combined unit in Delaware so that we can draw resources from each other; we all operate from the same platform and aircraft. And we train together so that if somebody has to come and assist us, we all know what they’re going to be doing.” “The search and rescue is very interesting to us because we have quite a bit of waterways,” he added. “We’re constantly being called to the river and the beaches to go search for people who are out in a distressed boat or swimmers.” Closer to home, Kevin Wilkes, fire chief for the Swoope Volunteer Fire Company in Augusta County, said his agency does not yet use drone technology, but he was eager to learn more. Noticing that the summit’s presenters were experts from all over the country, Wilkes said he used it as an opportunity to network and learn from the best. “I was here, really, because this is still new to us,” Wilkes said. “We don’t really have any unmanned aero surveillance or assistance around us, and we have a very large county — the second largest county in Virginia, nearly 1,000 square miles — so it would be extremely beneficial to us. “But we want to make sure that, with all the rules and regulations, we educate ourselves before we get into it.” With the equipment and technology advancing at such a fast pace, Wilkes said he wants to learn as much as possible before making any decisions. With such a large county, full of both agricultural and mountainous terrain, he said there are a lot of potential benefits to having a drone. To show off some of the equipment available, York County brought their command center van, as well as some of their more eye-catching drones. One of those unmanned systems — with a price tag of about $30,000 — is able to carry two different types of cameras, as well as a payload dropping system, according to Chris Sadler, assistant chief for the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety. “The platform has multiple things that can go on it. The camera on the far left is a FLIR — forward-looking infrared camera — so that sees heat signatures …” Sadler said. “It can see through clouds and smoke; it’s not looking at video, it’s looking at different temperatures.” “We can take it out over a river, or if someone fell out of a boat, and drop a flotation device to help them until a boat can get to them,” he said. “We can drop medicine in a remote area that we can’t get to. If someone needs insulin right now, we can fly out there and drop it to them.” The drone also is capable of wirelessly transmitting video footage via a secure website, Sadler said, which comes in handy during dangerous operations or tricky search and rescue missions. “If we’re doing a SWAT operation or even a fire or HAZMAT incident, we can be videoing everything going on and send it back to our command center, so they can make better decisions and better deployment of people and equipment and tactics,” Sadler said. “You’re looking at about $30,000 right there, but what that can do is, in a lot of instances, we can send that into an area we can’t send a person — either because we don’t want to get shot or because it’s a hazardous situation. “We can get quicker and more valuable information.” The summit will continue Wednesday with an all-day demonstration of various drones and the capabilities they possess for different public safety efforts.

Three Finalists Named for Germanna Community College Presidency Posted: March 1, 2017 From Germanna Community College The State Board for Community Colleges has certified three finalists for the position of president at Germanna Community College. The finalists were among more than 100 applicants from across the nation. The three finalists are Dr. John R. Donnelly of Charlottesville, Virginia; Dr. Janet Gullickson, of Spokane, Washington; and Dr. Linda Thomas-Glover, of Onley, Virginia. “This opportunity at Germanna is attracting an impressive breadth and depth of talent,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “We take that as a vote of confidence in the college, as well as the entire Virginia Community College System. Our focus on student success, our innovative approaches to providing short-term workforce training and our stability make us attractive to community college leaders who yearn to make a difference.” Dr. John R. Donnelly is currently vice president for instruction and student services at Piedmont Virginia Community College, a position he has held since 2010. Prior to that, he served for two years as vice president of academic and student affairs/provost for Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills, MA. Donnelly began his community college career as an adjunct instructor of history at Germanna Community College in 1999 and rose through the ranks serving as a full-time faculty member and eventually an assistant dean and dean at the college. He holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Virginia, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University. Dr. Janet Gullickson has presided over two community colleges, including her current position as president of Spokane Falls Community College, a position she has held since 2012. Prior to that, she served two years as chief academic officer for the second largest district of the Community Colleges of Spokane. Gullickson served as president of Front Range Community College in Westminster, CO, between 2004 and 2005. She was also interim president and provost of what is now known as Minnesota’s Northeast Higher Education District. Gullickson holds a doctorate in education from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree from South Dakota State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota. Dr. Linda Thomas-Glover is the current president of Eastern Shore Community College, a position she has held since 2009. Prior to that, she served as provost/chief academic officer of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Kentucky beginning in 2004. Thomas-Glover also worked for more than a decade at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC, rising through several positions, ultimately serving a nine-month term as the college’s interim vice president of instruction. She holds a doctorate in chemistry from Temple University, a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State College. The three finalists are vying to succeed Dr. David Sam, who has served as Germanna’s president for nearly a decade. Sam announced last summer that he would retire at the end of the current academic year. The finalists will each spend a day or more on the campuses of Germanna between Monday, March 20, and Thursday, March 30, 2017, to meet with faculty, staff, students and community members. Germanna Community College, which opened in 1970, is a two-year, public institution of higher education, serving a total headcount of about 13,000, including both students in academic courses and workforce development training, in the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford and the city of Fredericksburg. Since 1966, Virginia’s Community Colleges have given everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened. By making higher education and workforce training available in every part of Virginia, we elevate all of Virginia. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than 252,000 students each year. For more information, please visit www.vccs.edu (link is external). Anticipated Dates for Presidential Search Initial Screening Begins: January 3, 2017 State-level Interviews in Richmond: February 1-2, 2017 Interviews at Germanna Community College: March 20 – 30, 2017 Chancellor Announces New President: Mid-April 2017

National Public Safety Drone Conference wraps in Albemarle County

CROZET, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- The first National Public Safety UAS Conference wrapped on Wednesday after taking place in Albemarle County. Hosted by Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the conference centered around public safety officials and advancing their use of Unmanned Aerial Systems. "We hope to see this as a way that we can continually evolve and enhance our Unmanned Aircraft System program," said VDEM's acting deputy state coordinator, Charles Werner, who predicted that in the next three years, 80 percent of public safety agencies will have drones. On Wednesday, participants were scheduled to take part various scenario demonstrations and training events. "We laid out a series of developing standard test methods," said Adam Jacoff with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. "The Unmanned Aerial System market is getting very big." Ryan English, president and co-founder of Florida-based FlyMotion Unmanned Systems says the business of UAS is booming in the field of public safety. "Now that they've got their hands on the technology and have started to implement it into their operations, it's becoming one of the most useful tools for their operations," said English. The conference involved more than 200 participants. Last year, PVCC launched its own course on drones specifically for emergency services personnel.